Journey of a Barmaid
by Senigata
Summary: [Sequel to Innocent Feelings] As Cloud and Zack were taken to the Shinra Mansion Tifa had the good fortune to be rescued by Zangan. But what actually happened after arriving in Midgar. Where did our favorite Barmaid start her path that would lead her to fight against Shinra, reunite with an old friend and, eventually, save the planet from destruction? (Ch. 25 properly uploaded now)
1. Chapter 1

**Final Fantasy VII and it's character's belong to SquareEnix and I don't make any money out of this.**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Flames. All she saw was flames. The inn, her house, Cloud's house, all drowned in a sea of flames. The corpses of people she knew, friends and neighbors, scattered over the town. Where was her father?

She found a Shinra soldier lying on the ground nearby as she looked for any sign of her father, most likely dead, too. A quick glance into the Strife home had her body seize up as she saw Claudia buried under the rubble of the collapsed roof, blood seeping from underneath. Dead. _No…_

Averting her eyes, she followed the trail of corpses, trying and failing to hold back her nausea when she saw kind old Ms. Rose split open from shoulder to abdomen. Falling to her knees, she started to throw up, emptying the contents her stomach onto the ground until she was left dry heaving.

_How could this have happened? Where's Zack?_ Was he also responsible for this?

Forcing herself back to her feet, she followed the signs of destruction to the path that lead to Mt. Nibel. Was Sephiroth heading towards the Mako reactor?

Whatever he wanted to do there couldn't be good. The part of her that wanted to flee, to hide somewhere and curl up into a ball, screamed inside her mind, drowning out everything else. With a deep breath she remembered her master's teachings to force that part deep inside where it couldn't reach her, then broke out in a sprint up the mountain.

She took different paths, ones that she hadn't shown Shinra, that would get her up to the reactor much faster. Tifa just hoped that whatever Sephiroth was planning, she wouldn't be too late to stop him. She didn't want to imagine the damage if he decided to blow the whole thing up.

Arriving at the reactor had been easier than she thought; the monsters in the area must have felt that something was wrong and taken off, their survival instinct superseding their predatory nature.

Her boots created a metallic clanking sound as she ran up the reactor's stairs and into the building. She never had been inside, but this wasn't the time to be gawking. Making her way deeper into the building, she came to an abrupt halt when she saw a familiar body lying a few feet away, covered in blood and a discarded blade by its side.

"Pa...pa?" her body went numb as she slowly walked towards the fallen body of her father lying in front of her. She fell to her knees, shaking his body as if trying to wake him from slumber, but he remained motionless, his still warm blood staining her knees.

Not her father. Not her strict, but loving father, who was always worrying too much. She hugged herself, eyes burning as tears ran down her cheeks. _Why!?_

It was all because of Shinra. They brought this onto them. Her body was starting to shake, sadness being replaced by rage. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed someone approaching and she took in the vague color of a 1st Class uniform, but she didn't care. He was also at fault!

"Sephiroth, SOLDIER, Shinra. It's all their fault." Her eyes fell onto the blade lying on the ground. Sephiroth's blade. "I HATE THEM ALL!"

With blinding rage she grabbed the sword and ran deeper inside, ignoring the shout of her name. She found Sephiroth in a room with something that Tifa's rage filled mind barely recognized as some sort of pods, his back was turned towards her as he stood in front of a closed door, talking to himself like the raving madman that he was.

With a shout she ran up the stairs, gripping Sephiroth's sword tightly, ready to slash him apart just as he had done to Ms. Rose. But just as she was about to strike he turned around and grabbed her arm, wrestling with her for control over the weapon. Eventually he ripped his blade from her hands and there was a moment of shock before pain exploded from her chest as he struck her, sending her flying down the stairs until she hit the ground.

Time seemed to slow down as she stared up at the red tinted ceiling. A blur of black hair passed her by, running up the stairs. Was it Zack? It didn't matter anymore. No one could stop this monster anyway.

Her vision was growing blurry and she realized that she was going to die. She was going to die without having seen him again. And for a precious moment she was 13 years old again. She was sitting on the old well, talking to the boy with spiky, blond hair that she couldn't stop thinking about ever since that night almost two years ago, and Tifa wished she could have told him what she had been feeling ever since he had left their little mountain village.

"You promised…" and as her eyes fell closed the last thing she heard were footsteps clacking on the metal floor.

* * *

With a start her eyes flew open, and she let out a dry cough as she gasped for air. From her left she heard a machine beep in quick succession. Looking around she found herself in a clean, metallic looking room. Glaringly bright light forced her to squint her eyes a little.

Looking down on herself she found that she was dressed in a bright blue, short sleeved gown and she saw an IV needle stuck on the inside of her wrist, connected to an infusion full of...something.

Where was she? This wasn't Nibelheim. Where was everyone?

Then she remembered: the fire, the corpses. Blood everywhere. Claudia crushed to death. Her father lying in a pool of his own blood. Glowing, cat like eyes filled with madness staring into her own, looking at her like she was a mere insect to be crushed underfoot.

Fear gripped her at the memory and the beeping in the background was growing faster by the second as she struggled to breathe. She needed to get away!

With all the strength she could muster, Tifa gripped the IV and pulled it out. Blood gushed out of the small wound in her arm, but she didn't care. Throwing off the sheets, she pushed herself into a sitting position, her entire body aching from the strain of it, but it didn't even properly register in her mind as she hopped off the bed.

As soon as her feet touched the floor her legs gave out from under her and she collapsed like a sack of potatoes. Something had snapped off her body while falling, causing the machine to let out a continuous loud beep. Pain ripped through her head at the sound, but she couldn't stay here.

Using her arms, she crawled across the floor, leaving a small trail of blood in her wake. The pain in her head grew stronger the longer she heard that goddamn beeping. It was like someone had opened up her skull and shoved a hot iron inside her brain. Someone shut it off!

Laughter echoed inside her head. The smell of fire and blood filled her nostrils as the images of all the carnage flashed before her eyes, and that goddamn beeping was driving her insane!

_Shut it off. Shut it off. Shut it off! Shutitoffshutitoffshutitoffshutitoffshutitoffshutitoff!_

As her strength left her, she felt her head hitting the ground, the cool feeling of the tiles lessening the pain just a little bit, and she felt herself fall unconscious again. At least the pain would stop. She vaguely heard steps approaching and the door open before the world went dark again.

"Shut...it...off."

* * *

**Hmm, this one's gonna be a bit more on the serious side. It's been something I've been thinking off for a while. Shoutsout to Denebola_Leo for helping me out and check out her stuff if you have the time, it's worth it!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Tifa awoke once more to the sound of steady beeping. With a groan her eyes fluttered open and she found herself back in bed again. Slowly this time, she tried to push herself into a sitting position again, only to be stopped by a hand on her shoulder. The touch caused her to jump a little.

"Relax, you're safe," said the voice of a man, and she turned to take look at him. His graying hair was pulled back into a ponytail, which accentuated the roundness of his face. A pair of glasses framed kind, brown eyes. "You're in my clinic. You've been gravely injured, so you need to rest and not strain yourself too much."

She let herself be pushed back, resting her head on a pillow. A smell that reminded her of old Martin's antiseptic invaded her nostrils and she caught a flash of faded, white ceramic on the walls. This was a clinic?

"Wa—" as the words left her she started to cough, the dryness in her throat making her body beg for something to drink. She watched as the man opened a bottle of water and filled a glass that had been placed on the bedside table next to her. Adjusting the backrest so that she was sitting more upright, he carefully guided the glass of water to her lips so that she could drink.

After finishing the glass, and another one after that, Tifa felt a little bit more alive. She spoke again, her voice still coming out in a raspy tone.

"Was there anyone else?" she asked as he was putting the bottle away.

The man stopped for a moment, then released a sigh and shook his head. "I'm afraid not. From what I gathered, you were the only one."

Tifa's heart fell upon hearing that. Everyone, just gone. Snuffed out like the flame of a candle.

"I'm sorry but now the most important thing you need to focus on is yourself," he said in a calm voice and took out a penlight, shining into her eyes. "Could you please tell me your name?"

Tifa eyed him with caution. Why was he asking her name? For all she knew he could be some Shinra goon. But she knew that she had no chance to run away, so she didn't see any choice in the matter other than to answer his question. "Tifa Lockhart."

"Birthday?"

"3rd of May."

"How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Three."

"Mental facilities seem to be alright," he said more to himself than to her. He then put the pen light away and proceeded to write something down on a clipboard. Information for Shinra?

She cleared her throat. "Where are we, anyway?"

"Like I said, this is my clinic," he said, putting the clipboard away. "Well, it's also my home. So, kind of a live-in clinic. As for where exactly...We're in Midgar, the slums of Sector 3 to be precise."

_Midgar?_ So she was in Shinra's capital? How in the hell did she get to Midgar!?

"Sector 3?"

"The part of the city that's hanging above our very heads." he pointed a finger towards the ceiling. Tifa looked up. She had heard about it from Jeremy, that there was no sunlight in the slums underneath Midgar. How could anyone live like this?

"Ah, but I'm being rude, I haven't introduced myself. My name is Eisuke Hiragi, doctor by profession but I think you know that by now." The man smiled at her, pushing his glasses back up his nose.

"Now then, Ms. Lockhart, I'd like you to move one of your arms, if you please."

Tifa frowned at the man. "Why?"

"Because I need to make sure that there isn't any permanent damage to—"

"Why am I here!?" Tifa shouted. She regretted it immediately, grimacing at the pain in her throat it caused.

He looked at her calmly, not phased by her sudden outburst. "Alright. Zangan was the one who brought you here. I believe he's your teacher?"

_Master Zangan is alive?_ A feeling of relief washed over her. "Is he here?"

He shook his head again. "I'm afraid not. After placing you in my care he left again, saying that he had something to investigate. I can't say where he is now."

He left? But, why? Why didn't he stay with her!?

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying and failing in not feeling abandoned. Her father was dead, so was everyone else, and her teacher, whom she trusted, had left her...here, and took off again. The man must have realized what she was thinking, as he placed his hand onto her shoulder in a reassuring gesture. "I'm sure he will return as soon as he is done with his investigation."

"Now. Zangan and I are old acquaintances, which was most likely the reason he brought you here," he explained to her, his voice never losing that calm tone." You've sustained a grievous wound to your chest as well as damage to your spine. Zangan was wise enough to use his cure materia on the way here and I did what I could, but you've been unconscious for quite some time."

"H-how long?"

Dr. Hiragi sighed and rubbed his hand against the stubble on his chin. "It's been about two months since you arrived here. It's December right now."

Tifa gasped at the revelation. December.

"The wound on your chest is healed, but I'm afraid it will still leave a scar despite the use of magic." Her hand went to her chest. Touching the skin through the gown, she could feel the rough outline of where she had been struck by Sephiroth. "I've never seen such a fine cut in my entire life. It must have been an extraordinary sharp blade. But the upside is that you're still young. Scars fade over time, especially as one grows."

"Now the spinal damage is what worries me the most, so returning to what I asked a moment ago, would you please lift your arm?"

Taking a deep breath, she nodded. "Alright."

"Please try to move your arms." Following his instructions she lifted her left arm and after that the right one, while moving her fingers too. It was a bit difficult she had to admit, and any faster than this caused her to hiss in pain; a fact that he took note off and wrote down. "Good. A bit stiff, but you spent quite a while not moving. Now, how about your legs, can you feel them?"

"I...think so?" she moved a little but couldn't get her legs to respond the way she wanted, and it took her way too much effort to bend it slightly. "I don't think I can walk though."

"I'm sure your master taught you about the muscles inside your body and how to train them. If you don't keep up your training, your muscles will eventually grow weaker. Same happens when you don't move," he explained to her, taking another note.

Tifa was reminded of when she was 8 years old, how her legs had been all wobbly after only a week of lying in a coma. No wonder she couldn't walk after 2 months. This little bit of movement was already exhausting her like a day hiking Mt. Nibel did. How she even managed to do what she did earlier she didn't know.

"So I have to learn how to walk again?" she asked him after a moment of silence, swallowing a bit as her throat was getting dry again.

"Well I'd like to call it re-training your leg muscles, but in essence it's the same." He pulled the bottle of water back up again and started to refill her glass. "Don't worry, it's part of the healing process, and I'll be here to help you every step of the way."

The doctor helped her drink some more. He then got up from the chair and checked her IV bag, before turning back towards her. "We'll start by giving your body the energy it needs. Now I'm not the most talented cook, but I'm sure I can manage to prepare something filling."

At the mention of food her stomach let out a growl and Tifa felt herself blush. "Actually, now that you mention it, I think I could eat a Chocobo whole."

Dr. Hiragi just chuckled.

* * *

**Alright, first OC. You'll be him quite a bit, I'm afraid. I hope I can write him entertaining enough for you guys. I always figured that Zangan wouldn't leave his star pupil with someone he didn't trust so I figured it might be interesting to make a character out of such a person. We'll see how it goes, shall we?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Pain shot through her legs as she slowly put one foot before the other; her hands held tightly onto the handrails on each side of her as she focused her strength on holding herself upward. In front of her was Dr. Hiragi, holding onto her waist to help her along as he walked backwards in step with her.

"Good, Ms. Lockhart. Very good," he encouraged. "Just a little bit more."

Tifa grit her teeth as she concentrated on the feeling of the mat underneath her feet, her muscles aching and burning as they slowly but surely started to regain strength.

After having spent well into the new year getting back to a decent weight level, they had formerly started rehab. The doctor had one day brought in some old, but still reliable equipment to help with that; the handrail walkway they were using right now being one of them.

At first she had barely been able to do anything, let alone walk, but he had assured her that was normal. She was glad for his kind words, as they kept some of her more darker thoughts at bay. Her master had yet to return and it caused feelings of abandonment to fester inside her. She really wished he was here with her, giving her his encouraging words. But what would he think of seeing his pupil now, so weak that she couldn't even stand on her own? Would he be ashamed?

Banishing these thoughts, Tifa focused on the here and now, taking the aching of her muscles as encouragement rather than a setback. Feel the burn, as they say!

"I think that's enough for now. Good work! We've made it halfway there, that's very impressive." Dr. Hiragi smiled and helped her sit down into an old and beaten wheelchair.

"Honestly doesn't feel like it," she said as he rolled her over to the surgery couch nearby. His treatment room wasn't the most spacious, and now that he had to build up some equipment for her it was getting hard to maneuver the wheelchair. She felt a bit bad about the other patients that he got on a regular basis because of that.

She was just happy to be out of the sterile patient room, and while this room wasn't too different, it just had a much warmer feel.

"Don't sell yourself short, my dear. With the progress you're making I think we can switch to crutches soon." They stopped and the doctor helped her onto the surgery couch, lying her down on her stomach. "Now today I want to try something that will help along with your progress. But I'm afraid I'll have to expose your back for it."

A blush crept onto Tifa's face and she buried it into her folded arms. In the weeks that she had known the man she had to face quite a few embarrassing situations. Bedpans needing to be replaced, receiving help when she needed to clean herself, amongst other things. But he had always been polite, treating her with the utmost respect and averting his eyes whenever she was exposed.

She had heard stories from her friends, about how men in the big city could he very sleazy, but Dr. Hiragi had been nothing but a gentleman.

"Ok." Tifa nodded to herself more than to him. She heard some metallic rustling as he was searching around for something until he returned with a small wooden box. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed that it had some elaborate carvings on it, but couldn't make out anything else. With trained hands, the doctor opened her gown at the back, making her shiver for a moment as she was fully exposed to the air.

She heard the box being opened and Dr. Hiragi spoke to her in a calm voice. "You might feel something akin to a mosquito bite, but please tell me if you should feel any pain."

"What do you me—" the rest of her sentence was cut short as she felt something being inserted right into the center of her back, but instead of any pain, she felt a tingling sensation.

"Does that hurt?"

"No," she breathed out. He hummed and she felt almost the same sensation a bit lower on her back. She felt herself starting to become warm. "What are you doing?"

"In my homeland we believe that inside our body resides a stream of energy, and over the centuries we have invented a technique to channel that energy into areas of the body where it is needed most, to aid in the healing process," he explained to her as he did whatever he was doing, the feeling of warmth spreading to her arms and legs, and it felt like the pressure that had been on her limbs was being lifted bit by bit. "For that, we use very thin needles that we insert into certain points on the human body. In non-Wutaian dialects it's called 'Acupuncture'."

Wait, he was sticking needles _inside_ her?

A small part of her wanted to fly into a panic, to get away, but it was soon suffocated by the feeling of warmth and her body relaxed completely.

"How are you feeling?"

"Warm, and a bit tingly," she murmured, resting her head on her folded arms and closing her eyes.

"Ligh…ter," like she was flying on a soft, warm cloud illuminated by the sun.

She heard him chuckle. "It's alright to fall asleep."

_Ah, is that so?_

"OK," she murmured again and drifted off, lulled into sleep by a silent lullaby.

* * *

**Here's a slightly shorter one, but I felt it was good enough the way it was. Maybe some slight world building even?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

After their first acupuncture session her progress had indeed increased a little; since then it became a regular thing, helping her to make even more strides in her recovery. Soon she had discarded the wheelchair in favor of crutches, and little by little her legs were returning to their old shape.

As she was now able to move around much more freely, the doctor had offered to relocate her, giving her one of the vacant rooms of the private living space on the second floor of the clinic.

"My daughter's been gone for a long time now, so why let a room go to waste?" he had said. Tifa was just happy to be out of that sterile, white hellhole. The room wasn't anything fancy and much smaller than the one she used to have back home, but it felt homely and that was what mattered.

As luck would have it, some of his daughter's old clothes were also still around, making her able to dress in something much more comfortable than a hospital gown. Even if their sizes differed in certain areas of their bodies, much to her chagrin.

They were currently sitting at the table inside his small kitchen, eating a modest meal that he had cooked up. Maybe she should try lending him a hand in cooking once she was better?

Neither of them spoke as they ate. A rarity. Usually Dr. Hiragi engaged her in conversation, but today he was uncharacteristically quiet. It made her a bit uneasy.

All of a sudden he nodded to himself and said: "I think you're well enough for us to talk now."

She looked at him quizzically. "About what?"

"About what happened. Zangan only told me that your hometown was destroyed, but not the details behind it all." He put his fork away and looked at her, his face taking on a serious expression. "I was hoping you would tell me."

Tifa looked down at her plate. Honestly she didn't want to talk about it,would rather forget it ever happened; but she knew that would dishonor everyone that died that day. Besides, for what Dr. Hiragi had done so far, it was the least she could do.

"It...all started on the 22nd of September, when a Shinra team was deployed to check up on the Mako reactor on Mt. Nibel." And so she told him everything that happened, as painful as it was; but she needed to get it off her chest.

"It was the first time I saw the great Sephiroth in person." One of her hands squeezed the side of her chair tightly. "He really was like the stories always said: a legend. He dispatched any monster we encountered, together with another SOLDIER named Zack, like it was child's play."

She told him how she had led the group to the Mako reactor on Mt. Nibel and how he had locked himself up inside the old Shinra mansion afterwards. "Nobody knew what was going on, not even Zack or that shy trooper that was always 'round...and then, roughly a week later, he emerged from inside…" _only to slaughter the entire population of Nibelheim._

"When I followed him up the mountain, I wasn't sure if I could do anything to stop him, but I couldn't just stand by as he killed us all. Inside I..." She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself as she saw her father's lifeless body in her mind's eye, her knuckles growing white. "I found my father."

She told him about the immense hatred that she felt in that moment; that it had made her snap and throw caution to the wind by trying to kill a living legend, only to be struck down in return. By the end of it she felt tears of rage roll down her cheeks, and she hastily brushed them away.

"And the next thing I know, I woke up here," she concluded her story, looking at the doctor. She saw that a frown had formed on his face, making her shake her head. "You don't believe me, do you?"

"No, that's not it. I do believe you," he said and rubbed a hand over his face as he rose from his chair. "Believe me, I've heard and seen enough of Shinra's cruelties to know you're speaking the truth. But I believe there's something you need to know."

He left the kitchen, leaving her to her own thoughts. Talking about it just made her feel even more helpless in her current situation, and that helplessness just made the anger boiling inside her increase a hundredfold. She hated Shinra with every fiber of her being. They destroyed her life, and they had to pay for that!

After a while Dr. Hiragi returned with a newspaper, placing it in front of her. Tifa gave him a confused look, before leaning over and reading the headline out loud.

"'_War Hero Killed in Action!'_" She looked at him in disbelief. "'_It is with great regret that Shinra Corporation had to confirm the death of its most elite SOLDIER, Sephiroth. The great hero of the Wutai war was returning from a routine mission, when he was ambushed by a group of terrorists, resulting in the death of him and his entire team.'_ What the hell!?"

_No, that couldn't be… _"Sephiroth is dead?"

"It's either that, or he has been taken care of in a different way." He sat down opposite of her. "But, did you notice how there is no mention about what happened at Nibelheim?"

She read the article, checking every word, but no word of Nibelheim at all. "What does that mean?"

"It means," he leaned forward, looking her directly into the eye. "Shinra is covering it up."

"What do you mean, covering it up?" she asked.

Dr. Hiragi took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "Exactly what it means. It's nothing new with the likes of Shinra, ruining lives and covering up their atrocities afterwards. I've seen it enough times."

So they wouldn't even acknowledge all the lives that had been lost. Just sweep it under a rug and pretend it never happened.

"Ms. Lockhart..." he sighed. "Tifa, you have to listen to me right now. This is important."

Tifa bit the inside of her cheek, her eyes burning with tears that she refused to shed as the anger inside her threatened to burst forth in an explosion of violence. She closed her eyes, taking deep breaths. Inhaling. Exhaling. Just like her master had taught her. After having calmed down once more she looked Dr. Hiragi in the eye and nodded.

"Tell me, do you have anyone that you know in this city?"

A flash of spiky blond hair appeared in her mind. "Some of my friends from Nibelheim had left to find work in Midgar."

"I don't want to scare you, but if Shinra knows about them it might be that they are watching them. They have a group of agents called the Turks, who specialize in observation, kidnapping and murder," he told her, leaning back and crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Worst case they might already have...disposed of them."

Her eyes widened, her heart thumping wildly in her chest as she realized what he meant. All of her friends; Jeremy, Bryan, Timothy, Daniel...and Cloud. They could all be dead. Or worse. _No, please…_

"It's imperative that you don't mention what happened to anyone. Shinra has eyes and ears everywhere. It's for your own safety."

Hearing his words was painful, and she wanted to grab and scream at him. That he was wrong, that Shinra had to pay for what they had done. But deep down she knew he was right. If she went around shouting like a mad woman that Shinra had destroyed her hometown she would only make all of her master's effort to save her life be in vain.

She shakily brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "How do you know so much about them?"

He gave her a humorless smile. "I fled here with my daughter during the war. I was sick of my country's stubbornness, didn't see the point in waging war just because Shinra wanted to spread technology. Once I was here, I realized that the people in the slums needed help, so I spent all of my savings to build this clinic and offer my help."

"And for a while it went alright. Then one day a young man stumbled into this place, heavily injured and near unconsciousness. I treated him, but as I did so I noticed a very particular tattoo on his back, one that marked him as a shinobi of Wutai. He was here on a sabotage mission. So before I knew it, I was harboring a war criminal. I could hardly send him away, so I did my best to hide him. But I messed up, and someone noticed." He exhaled a long breath and shook his head. "Then _they_ came, all dressed in black suits and asking for the wanted war criminal. They gave me a choice: hand him over, or they would take us all in. So, I told them where I was keeping him hidden."

"I had to do it. I couldn't have them take my daughter. But there isn't a day I don't feel guilty about it. That was the day where I realized that what everyone said about Shinra was true. I swore to myself that day, that it would never happen again. Ever since, I did what I could to help against Shinra's cruelties wherever possible. And I guess that's also the reason why your master brought you here in the first place. He knew I would do what I could to protect you from Shinra."

Tifa watched the older man, realizing that there was more to this kind faced doctor than met the eye. She felt like she understood him a little better now.

"I understand. I promise that I won't do anything stupid," she told him, and offered him a smile. He looked at her and slowly mirrored her expression.

"Good." He nodded and they slowly returned to eating, the food long since having gone cold.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"You mentioned your daughter a few times. Did she…?" she stopped herself from finishing that question. Midgar was a dangerous city.

He looked at her for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Oh no, no. After the war ended she went back to Wutai, to help in rebuilding it. She's doing quite well, recently got married to that girlfriend of hers."

_Ah._ Now Tifa felt a bit stupid, of course she would eventually move out...Wait, did she hear that right?

"Girlfriend?"

"There's all sorts of people out there, my dear Ms. Lockart," he said with a chuckle.

_I guess there's a lot I have to learn about the world._

* * *

**Alright, now things are going to become interesting for our dear Tifa. What's gonna be in store for her later, I wonder?  
And we learned some stuff about the good doctor as well!**

**If you like what you're reading, consider dropping a review if you like :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Tifa was lying awake in bed, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought. Six months had passed since she had awoken in Midgar, inside the clinic of Dr. Hiragi. With his help she had managed to literally get back onto her feet, enduring pain both physical and emotional.

Since then she had become less of a patient and more of a guest to him, allowing her to stay with him for as long as she needed to. She suspected that it was partly because of his promise to her master, and partly because the older man felt a bit lonely.

_Master…_

Master Zangan hadn't returned, and while Dr. Hiragi always told her that it wouldn't be long until he would, they both knew that it was a lie. Maybe he had abandoned her. Or maybe Shinra had gotten their hands on him and he was long dead. Or worse.

She didn't want to think about that possibility. She would rather be abandoned by him, as much as it pained her as well.

Glancing out of the window, she could see part of the plate that was blocking out the sky for everyone in the slums. No sun, no moon, no stars; just a giant gray plate. How must the children growing up in this place feel, having never seen them before?

Would they ever have the chance to see the night's sky as she had once done?

Her eyes fluttered over to the digital clock embedded into the wall. 4:37. _Guess that's it for sleep._

Nightmares were a frequent visitor. They didn't happen daily anymore, but she still had them frequently enough that she could almost write them down on a calendar. Sleep never came to her afterwards.

She got out of bed and stood in the middle of the modestly sized room. Taking a deep breath, she moved her feet further apart and held out her arms in front of her, palms open. She remained like that for a moment, before exhaling again and balling her hands into fists as she repeated the familiar motions of the first kata that master Zangan had taught her. Movements like calm water, but as powerful as a crashing wave.

While he wasn't with her, his teachings were, and she would never forget them. They were the calming heart of the storm that had become her life.

With one final turn she spun around, placing her right fist into the open palm of her left hand. Nodding in satisfaction, she relaxed her stance and did one final stretch. She wasn't back to how she used to be, but she was slowly getting there.

She went over to the wooden cabinet and took out a fresh towel, and was about to head to the bathroom when she noticed the electric light from outside reflecting off something on her nightstand.

Her locket.

As if in a trance, she walked over to it, brushing her fingertips carefully against it, almost as if it could burn her. Slowly, she grasped it in her hand, a finger moving towards the clasp, but stopped just shy from opening it. Gritting her teeth she climbed onto her bed, opened her window and pulled her arm back throw it out onto the street, so that some desperate soul might pick it up to sell for a few Gil.

But something deep inside Tifa stopped her, telling her to hold onto it; so that she would never forget what happened. Never forget what Shinra had taken from her.

Anger bristling inside her, she placed the locket back onto her nightstand, then left the room to head towards the bathroom.

Inside, she stripped off her clothes and stepped into the shower. She closed her eyes as the hot water hit her skin. As bad as Midgar was, at least hot water was always available. She leaned against the wall, forehead touching the blue colored tiles and a sigh escaped her. After her little episode the momentary peace she had felt during the kata was gone, replaced once more by the storm that had kept her awake nearly all night.

Today was the 3rd of May.

_One year older now._ _Happy Birthday, Tifa_, she heard the voice of her father echo inside of her mind. For just a moment she could feel him wrap his arms around her like he used to always do on her birthday. After her mother died they stopped having elaborate parties, instead it was a quiet, ordinary day like any other. But her father had always found the time to congratulate her and give her a present...

...like the locket resting on her nightstand. It had been a present to her when she had turned fifteen, something he had picked up for her from a nearby village. Now, it was just another symbol of what she had lost.

She was sixteen now; but honestly, she felt like thrice that age, and wanted nothing more than to crawl back into bed and skip the entire day. But she knew that wasn't an option.

She was a guest here, but it just wasn't like her to sit idly by while Dr. Hiragi did everything alone. So as soon as she was able to she had started doing house chores as a way to pay back his kindness.

With another sigh she turned off the water, stepped out of the shower and dried herself, before heading back to her room. Inside she put on a fresh T-shirt, a pair of short pants and her boots, the only thing from her old clothes that had been salvageable. Leaving her room again, she walked down the hallway as quietly as possible, careful as to not wake up the doctor. It would still be some time before he woke up, since even on days where she wasn't plagued by nightmares he slept longer than her.

As she left the clinic she was met with the heavy air of the slums, a strange mixture of trash and Mako. It reminded her of Nibelheim during the last of its days, where the air had been so heavy with Mako that some of the older people couldn't leave their house or open the windows because they could barely breathe. Dr. Hiragi had invested quite a bit of Gil into a modern ventilation system so that the smell wasn't bad inside the clinic, but once you went outside it stuck to your throat like a roadkill in summer.

She walked down the street. It was early in the morning, but there were always people on the streets in the slums. Most wanted to keep to themselves, but she knew that Midgar was a rough place. Dr. Hiragi had given her a rundown about places that even in a relatively safe place like Sector 3 there were places a young girl like her shouldn't go to. Stories of girls having gone missing, only to be taken to the Wall Market in Sector 6, weren't uncommon.

But she was confident that some run of the mill thugs wouldn't pose a problem to her even in her untrained state. She used to beat some of the monsters on Mt. Nibel. But she wouldn't make the the mistake to underestimate them either.

Her feet carried her down the street towards a small playground that she had seen the other day when the doctor had shown her around while buying groceries. It was empty of course. The local kids were still asleep. She walked over to a set of swings, running her fingers over its chains before sitting down and letting herself swing back and forth lazily.

Tifa tried to conjure up some happy memories of the times she had used the swing in Bryan's garden, but all she managed to see was his poor father, lying on the ground as he bled out from a wound on his neck. Not even the memories of the times that she had watched Cloud as he was sitting on his own swing, deep in thought like he always was when he wasn't getting into fights, were able to cheer her up. They only made of her think of poor Claudia, crushed to death in her own home. She had liked the woman. After Cloud had left, she had started to interact with her more, occasionally talking to her, trading recipes and subtly asking if she had heard from Cloud. Did the woman perhaps suspect what her feelings for Cloud were?

If she did she never mentioned it. And now that she was gone, Tifa wished she had told her. Would she have approved of Cloud and her?

_Cloud…_ Tifa looked up towards the plate. Was he up there, right now? Did he make it into SOLDIER, and if so, did he hear about what happened and was looking for her right now?

She hoped so, because she couldn't deal with the idea that he was still willingly working for Shinra if he knew what they did; what the person he aspired to be did to their home.

She didn't realize that she was crying until a tear dropped down onto her knees.

She wanted to turn back time. Go back to when she was happy. Do things differently so that she could possibly prevent what happened. Tell Cloud just what he meant to her since that special night so long ago.

But as she buried her face in her hands, and sobs racked her body, she was only left with all her grief and regrets.

And the voices from her past, echoing inside her mind, saying: _Happy Birthday, Tifa!_

* * *

**Tifa really doesn't have it easy, does she?  
It'll have to become worse before it gets better.**


	6. Chapter 6

** Chapter 6 **

Tifa released a sigh as she left the small pawn shop situated between two residential houses, turning around in the doorway to bow to the shop owner. It was a small quirk that she had picked up from the good doctor over the time she had been living with him now. Finding a job was turning out to be harder than she had imagined.

That was already the fifth time today.

Nobody wanted to hire a barely 16 year old girl, especially if she was from some backwater town. But she couldn't just sit around and rely on Dr. Hiragi's kindness forever. She had to stand on her own two feet eventually.

_But not today_, she thought, and she deflated a little as she wandered the streets of Sector 3.

"Sorry, kid. But in a business like this I need someone with experience," the owner had told her. Experience. That was exactly what she was lacking. Back home she had been in charge of the household and had been on her way to becoming the resident mountain guide, but she doubted anyone in Midgar was in need of a guide.

As Tifa was mulling this over, she was distracted by something blinking from out of the corner of her eye. Turning her head, she saw a large neon sign reading _Frosty Delights,_ and a much smaller one reading _Ice Cream_ underneath.

Ice cream. She only had heard about it in the past; that it was a delicacy that was popular in some place called Costa Del Sol. But she never would have thought that someone could get it in the slums of Midgar as well.

_Maybe…_ Her hand went to the pocket of her jacket where she kept her money; a little pocket money that the doctor had provided her with. She knew it was wasteful, but she could do with a little pick me up right now.

She heard the jingle of a bell as she opened the door and walked inside. The place was small, with only a handful of tables to sit at, but it was clean and held a sort of homely feel to it.

"Just a sec!" came a voice from the back, soon followed by a heavy-set man with a small goatee. He stepped behind the counter and gave her a friendly smile. "Welcome, young lady. What'll it be?"

"I..." she hesitated for a moment, not really sure what to say, partly because she never had any ice cream before and partly because his friendly attitude had caught her off guard.

"I don't really know…I've never had any ice cream before," she admitted.

"Well now, we can't have that!" The man chuckled and leaned on the counter. "Sadly, I can only provide simple flavors, but I assure you my ice cream'll beat any of the fancy-shmancy ones you'll find on top of the plate."

She looked at the assortment of flavors, holding a finger to her lips as she debated with herself. Finally, she pointed at the one that she was most familiar with.

"Never can go wrong with chocolate. One or two scoops?"

"Uhm..." she didn't want to pay too much money, but the part of her that was still a child just couldn't refuse. "Two."

"Cone to go, or you wanna eat it here?"

"I'd like to eat here, please." She wanted to sit down and rest her feet, if only for a couple of minutes.

He gestured to one of the tables. "Take a seat, I'll bring it over."

Following his instructions, she sat down at one of the small tables, releasing a sigh through her nose as she rested her arms on it. This day really could have gone better.

"You're not from around here, are ya?" the man asked suddenly, while picking out a clean glass bowl.

Blinking, Tifa looked at the man. "Is it that noticeable?"

He looked up from his work and gave her a wink. "You don't have an accent from around here. You from the western continent?"

"Yeah I'm from Ni—" she caught herself, almost letting it slip where she was from. "I'm from the western continent."

"Hmm, thought so. Lotsa folk from there come here to seek their fortune," he said, scooping up the ice cream into the bowl. Fetching a clean spoon, he carried it over and placed both in front of her. "Though I could swear I've heard your accent before..."

Tifa looked at him quizzically. Maybe he had run in with one of her friends?

Shrugging, she thanked him and took a spoonful of the ice cream. Her taste buds screamed in delight as the rich, chocolate flavor touched her tongue. It must have been noticeable, because the man just gave her a knowing smile. "Good?"

"Yeah." She nodded and took another spoonful. The man looked at her for a moment, then sat down opposite of her.

"Say, you look a bit down. Something happened?" he asked her out of the blue. Taken aback, Tifa didn't know what to say, just staring at him. Her first reaction was to ask him _"What's it to you?" _, but that would have been rude, especially with how nice he had been so far.

Looking a bit down was putting it mildly when one considered that her entire world had been turned upside down not even a year ago, and that she had awoken in a strange place far away from what she had once called her home. But no matter how nice he was, she couldn't tell him that.

But she could tell him about today's concerns, she supposed. Those were harmless enough. "I was asking around for a job."

"I'm guessing no luck so far?"

Tifa nodded, eating another spoonful. "Guess there's no market for a girl from the sticks in the big city."

"Nonsense! There's no shortage of work in Midgar, but also no shortage of jackasses. So, what are you good at?" he asked her, and Tifa had to smile at the man's attitude. It reminded her a bit of simpler times.

"Back home I used to be a guide for travelers. No need for those around here." She shrugged. "I'm also good at simple cooking, I guess."

"Oh I wouldn't be so sure. I could've used a guide during my first few months in the slums," he chuckled.

"You're not from around here, either?"

"Nope!" he grinned. "I'm from the plains down south. Family owns a farm near the Chocobo Ranch. Could've stayed there and live a quiet life. But, that wasn't for me."

He leaned forward a bit. "Let me tell you a little story. When I arrived in Midgar I had nothing but the clothes on my back and a few Gil in my pocket. There were times when I had to squat inside an empty building to sleep, and the only job I had was washing dishes in some seedy place at Wall Market. Saw a lot of crap that had me wanting to turn back and run home. But I didn't give up. And now I'm sitting here in my own ice cream parlor, talking to a pretty little lady enjoying my ice cream."

Tifa giggled in spite of herself. "But it didn't come easy, did it?"

"Of course not! Nothing worthwhile comes easy. You have to work for it, through the pain and sadness. But at the end it's all worth it. So never give up, little lady." He winked again. "Maybe you'll have your own shop someday, too. No ice cream though; I don't think I could handle the competition."

Now Tifa had to laugh. He was right though, she couldn't give up. There were things that she could do, even if it was just peeling potatoes in a kitchen. She would keep trying and maybe, like he said, she would one day have her own shop.

A restaurant maybe. Or maybe a bar. She was always fascinated at how Mr. Douglas had managed his pub.

She finished her ice cream, spirits very much lifted, and gave the man a smile. "Thank you, for the ice cream. And the kind words—Ah!" her hand went to her pocket. "How much do I owe ya?"

The man just held up his hand.

"Keep it." He shrugged and picked up the bowl and spoon. "We all need a pick me up once in a while, and you looked like you really needed it."

Tifa looked at him, slightly dumbfounded, his continuous kindness shocking her yet again. _ Why? _

"But if you want, you can tell people that Frosty Delights has the best ice cream in Midgar!" He grinned and started to walk back behind the corner.

Tifa, not knowing what else to do, gave him a smile. "I will."

The bell jingled once more as she left the ice cream parlor, leaving her with much to think about. As she walked the streets back into the direction of the clinic, she found herself looking at the people close by; construction workers heading back home from their shift, a mother and her child walking hand in hand, an elderly couple doing their grocery shopping, all minding their own business. Yet, here she had encountered not one, but two kind people in a place that put self preservation over everything else.

It was bizarre. It didn't make sense.

Tifa was startled out of her little reverie when a hand placed itself on her shoulder, and she whirled around, instinctively raising her fists into a fighting position to defend herself against this unknown assailant.

"Tifa?" she heard a familiar voice ask.

"Jeremy?"

* * *

**Dun Dun Dun!**

**On another note, those of you that read Post Crisis will understand the reference from there a bit better now.**


	7. Chapter 7

**First chapter of the week.**

* * *

** Chapter 7 **

"_Jeremy?" she asked, dropping her arms to her side and looking into the familiar, friendly face of Jeremy Gristol, the son of Nibelheim's resident carpenter. His brown hair looked a bit unkempt and was in need of a cut. _

"_Wow, it really is you!" he exclaimed and she felt herself get pulled into a hug. "Why didn't y__a _ _ write that you'd be moving to Midgar?" _

Because I never planned on coming here, _she thought bitterly. She just stood there, letting herself be hugged. A wave of relief washed over her knowing that her friend was alright, that Shinra hadn't gotten to him. But she was soon reminded of what Dr. Hiragi had told her: that she needed to be careful._

"_It's good to see y__ou__," she said carefully, then gently removed herself from the hug. Ignoring his silent question of why she was here, she changed the subject. "So this is where y__ou _ _ live?" _

"_Huh?" He looked confused for a second before nodding. "Yeah. Down the street there." _

_ She watched as he pointed to one of the residential houses, if you wanted to call them that. His eyes then went to the watch on his wrist. _

"_Shit!" he swore. "Listen, I need to get back to work. How about we catch up later tonight?" _

_ And despite her reservations, despite what Dr. Hiragi had told her about being cautious, she found herself agreeing to his proposal. _

* * *

Tifa stood in front of the long mirror inside her room, giving herself a once over. She was dressed in a pair of dark pants and a red top that was starting to become even more stretched out compared to before. _Did they get bigger _ again_? _

With a sigh she grabbed a small leather jacket that and put it on. Like all her clothes it used to belong to Dr. Hiragi's daughter, and had a sort of worn look that gave it character. She turned from side to side. Good, at least it hid that her chest was about to burst out of her top. She didn't want him to get any ideas.

It was just an outing between friends after all.

Putting on her boots, she went to say goodbye to the doctor. The man was too preoccupied with reading a new hypothesis on Mako poisoning to ask any further questions and instead just told her to be careful before she left the clinic.

Tifa slowly walked to the place they had agreed to meet up at: a construction site that was about a ten minute walk away from the clinic, but she was so lost in thought that it took her double that time to get there.

As she arrived, she saw Jeremy sitting on a scaffold, looking down to the ground, seemingly deep in thought himself. For a brief moment she was back at that night in December and it was Cloud waiting for her instead. As she approached him, a frown formed on her face as another memory took its place, this time with the boy that was currently waiting for her, from shortly after New Year's Eve.

_ Just an outing between friends_, she reminded herself.

"Hey," she said to him as she stopped a few feet away, hands in her pockets. That seemed to have done the trick, as he was shaken out of his thoughts and looked at her.

"You came!" His face brightened and he climbed down to join her on the ground.

"Sorry. I got kinda lost," she lied to him, and she felt a bit bad about how easily it came to her to do so. "Still new."

"I know that feeling." They stood there in awkward silence for a brief moment, until Jeremy cleared his throat. "So, uh, ya want to grab a bite? I know a pretty good place nearby."

She exhaled and nodded, smiling slightly. He was her friend; she should try to have a good time. "Sure."

He led her to a small diner. It looked a bit worn down, but it added to the road site charm that the place had, despite being in the middle of the slums below a mega city. As they entered, the pleasant tunes of country music echoed through the room, and she felt that her mood was slowly improving. She always had a weakness for country.

They both sat down in a booth and Tifa took one of the provided menus to skim through, tapping her foot to the music.

"So, still liking the old tunes of Billy Gil I see?" Jeremy asked, also picking up his own menu.

"Always," she chuckled.

"Hear the old man is releasing a new album later this year," he said, making her look up at him.

"Is that so?" she asked, her curiosity piqued. Jeremy gave her a small grin and nodded. Closing her eyes, she silently cursed the fact that she couldn't buy it. _ Oh well. _

Soon a waitress came by to take their orders. Tifa went with a small burger, not really feeling too hungry.

"So how do ya like the big city so far?" he asked her.

"Throws quite the shade," she said while fingering one of the sleeves of her jacket, then looked him in the eyes. She could see the questions burning behind the dark shade of green, but she didn't want to answer any of them right now. "So have you heard anything from the others?" she asked before he could vocalize any of his.

"Uh, yeah." He nodded and a smile formed on his face. "Daniel's still good old Daniel. Works in a shop now; yeah, I know."

Tifa chuckled. Daniel was the son of the late general store owner, that had wanted to leave Nibelheim because he had no wish to inherit the family business. "Guess he ended up following in his dad's footsteps."

"Heh, yeah." he tapped his finger against the table. "So Tim and Bryan both live above the plate actually."

"Wow, how did they manage that?"

Jeremy shrugged. "Bryan got a job at Shinra. I think he's a manager now, and Tim is working at a jeweler's. I heard they got married recently."

She raised an eyebrow. "To each other?"

"Yeah, who would have thought they were into guys?"

Looking back at it, they both had always been pretty close, and by the time they had left town they were nearly inseparable. But what worried her was that one of them was working for Shinra. Would he know that something had happened to their hometown?

Shinra would undoubtedly keep tabs on both of them them.

Jeremy didn't tell her anything about Cloud, but that didn't surprise her. Cloud and him had fought a lot back in Nibelheim, so there was no love lost.

After their food arrived, they proceeded to eat with varying degrees of small talk in between, with Tifa trying to keep the topic light to avoid having to answer any unwanted questions. Thankfully Jeremy didn't pry, and soon they were reminiscing about the good old days, something that Tifa could manage to hold onto now without seeing the disturbing images of the massacre. It took a while, but Tifa started to enjoy herself and even laughed at one of his jokes. It was almost like they were back in their early teens again.

"So, what is it that you're doing with your life?" she asked him teasingly, resting her chin on her left hand.

"I actually work at the construction site we've met up. It's nothing fancy, but it pays the bills, so there's that," he told her. "I guess I also followed in my father's footsteps, too, in a way."

When they were done eating, Jeremy paid their bill, ignoring her insistence to pay her share of it, and they left. Side by side they walked through the street, as he guided her to his place, a companionable silence between them. She was honestly curious to see how one of her few remaining friends lived. His apartment was neat and orderly, a far cry from how the slums generally looked, but it still held the rusty feel that most buildings here had. It looked...nice. But when she heard the door close behind Jeremy, she felt that apprehension from earlier return in full force.

"Do you want to take off your jacket?" he asked her with a friendly smile.

"No..." She pulled the jacket a bit closer to her and walked around a little. "So this is your place, huh?"

He shrugged and gave her a little crooked smile. "It's nothing fancy, but it's mine. Well, not the furniture, I more or less inherited it from the last tenant."

She hummed and stopped in front of a few photographs. Of him, her and the others. Of his family. And as she looked at them that smell of fire and blood was invading her nostrils once again, turning her insides upside down. Averting her eyes she walked back to the middle of the room. What was she doing here?

"Listen, it's been fun today bu—" before Tifa could finish what she was saying, she felt his hand cup her cheek as he gently pressed his lips against hers. Her eyes widened in shock, and she felt herself frozen in place as he kissed her. It was only when she felt his other hand place itself on the small of her back that she found the strength to push him away.

"No!" she shouted as he stumbled back against the wall, his eyes widening in shock and confusion. She threw him a glare and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. So nothing really changed, did it?

Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself she stood back up straight and looked him dead in the eye, repeating the same words to him that she had said to him years ago, when he had first made his interest in her known. "I'm not interested," she said in as firm a voice as she could manage right now.

Her words must have triggered something in him, as she saw his eyes narrow while a sneer crossed his lips. He pushed himself off the wall. "You still want _ him _ ?" He took a step closer to her. "_Cloud _, who you said went off to become one of Shinra's super-powered freaks!?"

"Don't you dare talk about Cloud like that!" Saying those words she got right up in his face, pointing a finger at hist chest, not caring that he had apparently known her feelings for the blond boy well before she had fully realized them.

"Don't _I_ dare?" he spat. "In case you've forgotten, he was the one that always picked fights with us. He broke my nose once just because I looked at him funny!"

He looked at her like he hardly knew her. "And you want that piece of shit?"

It took every ounce of her willpower not to punch him. But he was not done yet.

"So is that why you're here? Why you didn't tell anyone? Ran away from home to be with your favorite bully?" he shook his head. "Your father must be ashamed of you."

In a flash he was stumbling back against the wall, blood bursting from his nose, and before he could do anything she clenched her fist into his shirt to keep him standing straight.

"My father is DEAD!" she shouted at him and she barely registered the look of shock in his eyes as she continued. Something inside her had finally snapped, and she blew caution completely to the wind. "Same as old Rose, Claudia and everyone else. They were all killed by Shinra!" She pushed him hard against the wall again. "So don't you goddamn tell me what my father must be thinking. You weren't there. You didn't see everyone lying dead on the ground, didn't smell the fire and blood in the air!"

With some sick satisfaction she noticed him wincing after she pushed him one more time, before letting him fall to the ground, where he started to nurse his bloody nose with his hands; broken. Tifa simply stood there, trembling in anger.

It took a while before Jeremy did anything other than just stare at her with confused eyes, but eventually he burst out laughing. "Are you for real?"

The only response he received from her was another glare.

"Nibelheim was destroyed," he scoffed. "And Shinra did it? Well, that's rich, isn't it? Hey, maybe Cloud did it too, I bet he'd love to do it himself!"

_How dare you!_ Cloud would never have anything to do with that. Shinra must have kept it from him. If he knew, he would have gone looking for her; to save her. Save her from this hellhole of a city. Like he had promised her!

Jeremy scoffed again. "Besides, if Nibelheim was destroyed, how come I just got a letter from my father yesterday?"

Everything went cold inside her upon hearing those words, the anger that she was feeling instantly dissipating into small frozen crystals that caused her mind to go blank. His father wrote to him?

Inside her mind she saw the beheaded corpse of Jeremy's father, lying close to his shop, his head a few feet away, cradled by the stabbed corpse that had been Jeremy's mother.

And all of a sudden she was reminded of what Dr. Hiragi had told her. Was this how Shinra was keeping tabs on him? If so, then Shinra was even more frightening than she had imagined.

Tifa felt her breath grew ragged as Jeremy glared daggers at her. With a start she turned tail and ran out of the door, ignoring his calls from behind her as panic finally seized her. She pulled her jacket over her head in an attempt to shield herself from any possible onlookers as she ran all the way back to the clinic.

* * *

It was a week later when she had finally mustered up enough courage to confront him again. But when she had arrived at his doorstep she found that his apartment was completely empty and that a sign reading _Open for rent_ had been placed on the door.

* * *

**Again: Dun Dun Dun  
If I was cruel i'd just leave it here. But I'll be posting the next chapter right after this.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"_Hmm. Oh, that guy?" One of Jeremy's neighbors crossed his arms and looked at the ceiling in thought, then shook his head. "You his girlfriend, or somethin'?"_

"_Co-worker," she immediately lied. Tifa had decided to dress in something to disguise her appearance, in case anyone had seen her that night. She also removed her earring and stuffed as much of her hair as possible under the baseball cap that she was wearing. She even tried speaking differently as well; all just to make sure nobody from Shinra could recognize her. "Hasn't shown up to work. Owes me some bucks, too!"_

"_Aww, that sucks!" he replied as he rubbed the scruff on his chin. "Guess he must'a moved back to that hometown of his, uh, Nir-Nifl-ah can't remember it!"_

Nibelheim_, she thought, and felt her heart go quicker._

"_But not telling anyone about it?" he tsked. "He seemed like a reliable guy. Even hired some dudes to ship his stuff back home, can ya believe it?"_

"_He did?" she asked in surprise, and a feeling of dread nestled itself deep inside her. The only stuff inside his place were the photos and clothes. Everything else had already been there before, so he had no reason to take it all with him. Yet the place was completely empty._

"_Yeah. And not just any. One of the real reliable ones from the plate. Those don't come cheap. Must'a spent his savings to get back home." He shrugged. "City life's just not for everyone. Anyway, sucks about the money, but what can ya do?"_

"_Yeah." She nodded almost mechanically. "Thanks, anyway."_

_She heard almost the same from all his other neighbors. That he had seemingly moved back home and that some shipping company had picked up his stuff. Only an older lady seemed to know a bit more._

"_Oh that nice young man? Yes, I saw him at the post office recently," the lady told her. "He looked pretty upset. Heard he got into a fight with his girlfriend just the other day, but I didn't want to pry. Anyway, he probably sent a letter back home like he always did."_

"_Ah. Thanks..." she said and walked off. She headed down the street as if on autopilot._

_A letter…_

_If he wrote a letter addressed to his father about what she had said, that meant Shinra would have intercepted it, and if they learned that he suspected anything…_

_She ran. She ran like she was hunted by a Tonberry, taking the most elaborate detours that she could think of until she arrived back at the clinic and inside the safety of her room._

* * *

That had been nearly two weeks ago now. Two weeks of locking herself into her room and only coming out when it was absolutely necessary.

Dr. Hiragi had only asked a couple of times, but after receiving no answer he had left her well alone.

_What have I done?_ She asked herself for the hundredth time, sitting in a corner of the room, far away from the window, and hugging her knees to herself. Because of her outburst Jeremy was now...she didn't want to think about it!

She should have just ignored him that day. Pretend she was someone else and moved along. Maybe he would still be blissfully unaware then.

Sobs racked her body as she held onto herself, guilt gnawing at her like a Nibel wolf on a freshly hunted carcass. She wanted to turn back time. Wanted to go back to how things were, to escape this nightmare that Shinra had brought into her life. She wanted her friends back, her father…

...Cloud. _You promised!_

She buried her face into her arms, letting her tears run free. She just couldn't go on anymore. She was so, so tired of it all.

A knock on the door made her shrink back like a frightened animal.

"Ms. Lockhart?" it was Dr. Hiragi. Why was he now bothering her of all things? Maybe if she just ignored him he would leave again so that she could continue to wallow in despair.

But not today.

"I'm coming in," he said through the door, followed by the sounds of a key entering the keyhole and unlocking the door. She felt a breeze of air enter the room as the door opened, but didn't look up at him and instead buried her face even deeper into her arms, too afraid and ashamed to look at him. Steps approached her and she heard as the older man knelt down in front of her.

A hand gently placed itself on top of her head, simply remaining there as a silent gesture of comfort, telling her without words that he was there if she needed him. Slowly, Tifa started to lift her gaze to meet his, carmine eyes settling on his brown ones.

"Tell me what happened," he said to her in that calm tone of his. Her first instinct was to clam up again. But the look that he was giving her, filled with understanding, had a calming effect on her. She brushed a few tears away before finally managing to speak.

"I made a mistake..." she hiccuped. "And now someone I knew is...dead..."

She watched as a frown crossed his features, but his eyes never changed. Gently he helped her up from the ground and sat her down on the edge of her bed while she muttered "I'm sorry," like it was a prayer.

"Shinra?" he asked her, and placed a hand on her forehead.

"Yes."

"I assume you met this someone the other night?"

"I ran into him while I was looking for a job, and he asked me if he wanted to hang out. It was a dumb decision, but I was so relieved to see someone from my past still alive that I still agreed to it," she explained, swallowing the lump that was forming in her throat. "But we got into a fight. He mentioned some things that hit too close to home and in my anger I told him what happened. That everyone was dead, that Shinra was involved in the whole thing. But he didn't believe me, told me that he had received a letter from his father. When I heard that, I panicked and ran away."

"So that was why you were acting so strange." Dr. Hiragi sighed. "I'm sorry. I should have said something back then, maybe I could have helped you somehow."

Tifa shook her head. "When I finally had the courage to go check up on him, I found his apartment completely empty and open for rent. I asked his neighbors, but they said he moved away, back home...after I ran away he must have sent a letter to his father and Shinra intercepted it and now...and now…"

With another loud sob Tifa jumped forward, throwing her arms around his neck as the dam broke once again, and she started to cry into his chest. She felt his arms go around her as he pulled her into a hug. He patiently let her cry until she calmed down enough to speak again. "I'm sorry..."

"Don't be," he whispered to her.

"But if I—"

"Shhh." he gently pushed her away and looked her in the eye. "I know what you're feeling right now. '_What if I had done things different?_', but you can't change what happened. You said he wrote a letter, didn't you?"

She nodded.

"You couldn't have known he would. For all you knew he'd just dismiss you and move on. Listen, Tifa, I know it hurts. It hurts a whole lot. I know it, because I was in the same place as you once, remember?" She did remember. How he had once helped a Wutaian spy and had to give him up to Shinra for the safety of his daughter. But instead of wallowing in self-pity he had decided to bear that cross and move forward.

Guilt was weighing her down, pulling her into a sea of sorrow. But as she was drowning she felt a hand grasp hers, lifting her back onto the shore and keeping her there. He was right, she had to move forward, as much as it pained her. "I understand," she said, trying to absorb as much of his calming presence as she could right now.

"Good," he exhaled. "Did anyone see you?"

"I don't think so. I disguised myself as best as I could when I asked around, but I can't be sure." she looked at him with unsure eyes. "What are we going to do now?"

His expression grew grim as he crossed his arms in front of his chest, nodding. "I'll get into contact with someone that will help us."

"Help us with what?"

His eyes locked onto hers once more. "Turning you into someone else."

* * *

**When it rains it pours doesn't it?**

**I wonder what's next in store for Tifa?  
**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry only one chapter this Friday. But I want to mention here that writing is going a long fine, so updates might actually start to out a bit faster.**

* * *

**Chapter 9**

Tifa stared at the bright, white walls of the place Dr. Hiragi had taken her a few hours after their talk, playing with the hem of the oversized hoodie that she was wearing. It reminded her of the patient room she had stayed in during her recovery. But instead of the antiseptic smell that had hung in the air, this room held a different, much cooler kind of sterility to it. It made her feel nervous.

"Alright, E. What's it you want?" a man named Dex asked after he had ushered them inside the room, which was situated in the basement of an abandoned building. He was dressed pretty neatly for a man operating in the slums, all pressed shirt and pinstripe pants. "You asked for me on a very short notice, you know?"

"Sorry about that, but it's an emergency."

"Mmh, I'll let it slide because you saved me from talking with my dragon-in-law. So..." he held out his hand. "Cash first, you know how it goes."

Dr. Hiragi sighed and handed Dex a very hefty amount of Gil from what Tifa could tell, her mouth slightly agape at the sight. Immediately, guilt started to gnaw at her once more. Now the man had to waste even more money on her because she had been stupid.

After Dex counted the money, he stored it away in a box resting on a table, then turned his attention back on them. "Alright, emergency you said?"

"Yes, she needs a fake ID. Fast." Dr. Hiragi's face grew grim. "It's Shinra."

Dex scoffed. "It always is. Let's get started, then."

He led them to part of the room where a black sheet covered the wall, with a single chair placed in front of it. Two lamps stood on each side, facing the wall.

"Please sit down," Dex said to her in a professional tone, and Tifa followed his instructions. He went into a back room and returned with a very modern looking camera, a far cry from the one they used to have in Nibelheim, complete with a frame to place it on. "I'll have to take some biometric photos for your ID, so please remove your hood."

She looked over to Dr. Hiragi, who nodded, before removing her hood. Dex gave her face an appraising look that made her want to cover herself up again.

"What would Shinra want with a girl like you?" he wondered aloud, then went back into professional mode, telling her how she should hold her head before taking a photo. After two more photos they were done and he pulled a small cartridge out of the camera.

He led them into the room he had previously gone to, and Tifa saw that it was filled with all sorts of equipment of which she could only name a few. The big one she knew was a computer, a pretty high tech one if she compared it to the one the doctor had in his clinic. Dex sat down in front of the computer, putting the cartridge into a slot and typing on the keyboard to open up a program.

"Alright. What's her new identity gonna be?"

The doctor gave her a reassuring look, before addressing Dex. "We'll register her as my niece."

"So your sister's kid?"

"Yes." Tifa perked up at this. She didn't know that he had any relatives outside his daughter. But then again, she also never asked.

Dex turned towards her, giving her another look. "Smart. She could pass for someone of Wutai descent," he said and started typing. "Married some Thompson, right?"

"Logan, actually."

"Mhm." Dex nodded. "Does the lady wish to choose her new given name?"

"I...I don't know. I guess something from your home country if I'm supposed to be your niece?" Tifa looked unsure— She had no idea what names women in Wutai were given; just another point towards how sheltered her upbringing actually had been.

Dex used the thumbs and index fingers of both his hands to form a rectangle, holding it so that it was framing her face. "How about...Ayumi? You look like an Ayumi."

She gave Dr. Hiragi a quizzical look. He smiled at her. "Ayumi is a fine name."

"Ok." Tifa nodded. Dex chuckled and went back to typing, asking for some more additional info and making up a place of birth for her that was far away from Midgar so that no one would question her accent.

"Done!" Dex got up from his chair and walked over to another desk, pulling open a drawer and rummaging through it.

"That's it?" Tifa asked.

"Pretty much. Most of the ID is digitally stored on a chip, so that Shinra can scan them more easily." He pulled a blank card out of the drawer and pointed at the small chip embedded inside it, then walked back over to the computer and shoved it into another machine connected to it. "After that, it's just adding your photo and general data, and that's easy enough for any forger."

He checked his watch. "Come back in an hour, I should be done with it by then."

"Thanks, Dex," Dr. Hiragi said as he led her to the exit.

Standing outside the basement, Tifa couldn't keep her curiosity in check any longer. "So have you known this guy for long?

"We're friends of a sort," he said as they slowly walked up the stairs. "Remember how I told you that I fought Shinra's cruelties wherever I could?"

She nodded.

"Dex owns a photo studio on top of the plate, but he's also quite the computer expert. He never had much love for Shinra, so he got into the forgery business on the side. We met through a mutual friend and have done what we did today a couple of times already." He looked at her with a wry smile. "Also a way to fight Shinra."

After leaving the building, the doctor led her to a nearby restaurant. Tifa was lost in thought as they both sat down in a quiet corner, not paying any attention to the waiter or what the older man had ordered. A new identity. It felt strange just thinking about it. Would she eventually stop being Tifa Lockhart?

"What...now?" she asked after a while, looking up from the table and towards the doctor. He leaned back in his seat, rubbing a hand over his eyes.

"For the time being we'll be laying low, acting like everything is normal. To any of these people," He waved towards the other people in the restaurant. "You'll be my niece, so if anyone asks, you're Ayumi Logan. It might be some time until you can go back to using your real name, and even then it's better if you only do so in a different sector than this, where no one will know you at all and Shinra will be less inclined to look."

"I see..." She nodded. It was for her own safety, she knew that. It just felt so...wrong. Like she was running away from everything that she was.

"Have faith. Shinra is powerful, but they are also a fickle bunch that's prone to infighting. I'm talking from experience here. They have long since forgotten I even exist, and it will be the same for you. What's important is that you," he pointed at her, "you know who you really are inside. You may call yourself differently, but deep down you are still Tifa, and that won't ever change."

Her lips curled into a small smile despite herself. Once again, it felt like he read her mind to comfort her in his own way. "Thank you."

They fell into a companionable silence, the only sounds coming from further back where a patron was complaining to a waitress. But there was still something that she wanted to ask. Something that had nagged at her for so long now. "Why are you doing all this?"

"Hmm?"

"Why are you helping me? Why are you so kind a place where it would be easier to just look away?" she asked him, looking down at her folded fingers. Her thoughts traveled back to the kind ice cream vendor whose name she never asked, who had also been kind to her despite not even knowing her.

He didn't answer her immediately, a thoughtful expression creeping onto his face instead. "Because it's the right thing to do?" He shook his head. "No. That's only partly it. I think I have many reasons. Because it's right, because I took an oath as a doctor, because I can empathize with your situation. There's a proverb in Wutai that I like: _The sword will kill evil once it has taken form, but kindness will leave no ground for evil to take root."_

He sighed. "Funny, before I came here I hated all this traditional stuff. Ah, but maybe I'm just an old fool."

"I don't think you are," Tifa said earnestly. To her he was as wise as her master. Maybe that was why they seemed to have gotten along?

"Now that is very _kind_ of you," he said, making Tifa chuckle, and him as well when he realized he managed to cheer her up.

Their little moment was interrupted when the patron that had been complaining started to shout. "I wan' 'nother drink, you bitch!"

"Please, sir. You've already had enough." The waitress insisted, and backed away when the man stood up. Tifa's first instinct was to rush over and teach the guy a lesson, but it was Dr. Hiragi who beat her to the proverbial punch as he got up from his seat and walked over to them.

"Now now, what's this all about?" he asked calmly.

"Fuck off!" The man turned towards him, beet red from anger and drunkenness. The doctor, on the other hand, just stood there in his usual calm manner and looked at the waitress for a moment.

"How about I buy our friend a drink then?"

"Sir that's not—"

"Nonsense! Come on, man. I'll buy ya a drink!" The doctor turned to the man, with a grin that seemed to catch him off guard.

"Uh, sure!" He nodded eagerly, albeit a bit confused. "Hell yeah, thanks bud!"

Tifa watched as Dr. Hiragi slipped his arm around the man's neck in a friendly gesture. It was subtle, not even noticeable to the untrained eye, but she saw him press his thumb into a point on the man's neck. And in less than a second the man fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

"Oh, too much to drink I guess," he said, and shrugged. After checking that the man and the waitress were alright he let the employees take care of the rest.

"What was that?" she asked him as soon as he sat back down.

"What was what?"

"The stuff you did to him!" she pointed to the man, who was currently being carried out. "I saw what you did with your thumb."

"Oh, that," he said with an amused tone. "Well, I might not be Zangan, but I also know a few tricks to defend myself. Just because I believe in kindness doesn't mean I take any bullshit."

Tifa looked at the man in front of her in silent wonder. Then she started to shake as her lips curled upward, and soon enough she felt laughter erupting from her for the first time in weeks.

It felt good.


	10. Chapter 10

**Another week, another chapter. Also some news on the end of the chapter!**

* * *

** Chapter 10 **

The sound of wood being pounded echoed through the second floor of the clinic as fists connected with what looked like an impromptu training dummy. With a shout, Tifa jumped and aimed a kick at the head, making it shake from the impact. Next, she brought her elbows down on its arms, before slamming her knee into the body. The wood groaned under the barrage of her hits as she relentlessly threw punches and kicks at it.

Her entire body felt hot and her muscles ached, but it was a good feeling, unlike back when she had started out in rehab. She had missed her more intensive training, and was glad to be back to her old performance. Training helped her keep her ghosts away.

It had been two months now that she had officially become Ayumi Logan, resident of the slums of Sector 3, and niece to the local doctor. It had been hard, to say the least, dealing with the fact that because of her mistake one of her friends from childhood was dead, or worse. But like the doctor had said: she needed to move forward. Move forward, but never forget.

With another battle cry, Tifa raised her right leg over the dummy's head and brought her heel crashing down on top of it. This proved to be too much, as the poor dummy collapsed under the sheer force of her kick.

"Damn!" she cursed and knelt down to the floor, slapping her hand over her face. This was the third time already. And this time it looked like it she wouldn't be able to salvage it any longer. She probably should have used some sturdier materials, but those were hard to come by at a junkyard. She picked up the 'head', which was the discarded helmet of a Shinra trooper that had already seen better days when she had found it. Now it was dented in a way that made it impossible to wear it.

With a sigh she threw it over her shoulder, where it bounced onto the bed. No use fretting over spilled milk, or broken training dummies; she needed to up her performance if she wanted to win.

One month ago, as she had been out looking for a job once again, she had accidentally walked into the more seedier part of the sector; filled with bars, clubs and even a place where women undressed for money!

She was about to get the hell away from there before some sleazeball decided to cop a feel, when she stumbled upon what seemed to be a fighting arena. Curiosity piqued, she walked closer and noticed a poster announcing a special event.

_FIGHT THE DISASTROUS TYPHOON!_

_Winner will receive 5000 Gil prize money!_

Her first reaction had been to snort at the overly dramatic stage name. But then she noticed the prize money, and soon the gears in her head were turning.

So she started her training regime again. Getting up early to jog around the neighborhood, doing crunches, push ups and pull ups, as well as training her techniques. Everything to get herself up to speed again. It wasn't perfect training, but it would have to do.

Walking into the center of the room she planted her hands on the ground and lifted herself into a straight handstand. Inhaling and exhaling a few times, she then let herself down, moving her shoulders forward to keep her entire body straight, then pushed herself back up again. Slowly she repeated the movements a few times to test her balance, before getting into a more steady rhythm.

"I knew any student of Zangan would be amazing, but you really top it all off," she heard Dr. Hiragi say, and she turned her eyes a little to see him standing by the doorway.

"Hi!" She greeted him without stopping her exercise, throwing him a grin. "Want to join? It might do you some good."

"I'm afraid I'm a little past my prime." He laughed. "Just watching you makes my arms ache. No, I'll leave the exercise to you."

"Need me—" She pushed herself up again. "—for something?"

He nodded. "I've picked up more medical supplies and could use some help."

"Sure." She let herself tip over to roll out of the handstand, before getting up and walking over to him.

"Show off." He chuckled and shook his head.

Tifa helped the doctor carry the supplies out of his beaten gray car, that reminded her of the old car they used to have in Nibelheim, and into the clinic. After that Tifa headed back upstairs to take a shower. She sighed as the hot water ran down her body, soothing her muscles.

One more week. She needed to be ready by then. She had to win. She owed it to the kind man, that had done so much for her.

She would repay him.

* * *

It was packed to say the least, but that was to be expected at an event like this. Everyone wanted to see how some poor schmucks got their face punched in by the reigning champion and maybe, just maybe, see someone that could take Typhoon in a fight and take those 5000 Gil home.

If all went as planned, then Tifa would provide them with a winner tonight. She walked through the throng of people, the smell of sweat, alcohol and tobacco strong in her nose as she heard a cheer calling "Typhoon, Typhoon, Typhoon!" going through the crowd closer to the ring, but she couldn't make out anything from where she was standing.

She slowly made her way over to the table where contestants could register. There was a bored looking guy wearing a pair of silly shades sitting there. He didn't notice her at first when she stepped up to him, only looking at her after she cleared her throat and pulling up his shades to give her an once-over.

"You lookin' for your dad or somethin'?" He chuckled dirtily. "Well you're in luck. Lotsa daddies here, if you catch my drift?"

Tifa resisted the urge to roll her eyes and pointed at the book in front of him. "I want to participate."

His only reaction was to laugh in her face. Tifa scowled at him as he slapped the table. It took him a bit until he calmed down enough to talk again.

"That was a good on—"He then noticed the look that she was giving him and dropped the stupid grin. "you're goddamn serious...Listen girly, this isn't some schoolgirl brawl or whatever the fuck you think this is. So move along!"

Shades guy shooed her away, but she remained where she stood. He was about to get up when another, much deeper voice joined the conversation.

"The hell is goin' on?" asked a stocky looking man, with dark skin and a full beard that was starting to go gray in a few spots, a cigar resting between his teeth.

"Hey, boss," Shades greeted him. "Little girl here wants to fight against Typhoon tonight."

The 'boss' snorted and looked at her. "YOU wanna fight against Typhoon?"

"The announcement didn't specify age or gender, so yeah." She placed her hands on top of the table and leaned in closer. "And I'm not just going to fight against him. I'm going to _beat_ him."

Shades started to laugh again, but his boss on the other hand just stared at her calmly.

"How old are ya?" he asked, taking a drag from his cigar and blowing the smoke in her direction, making her grimace at the heavy scent.

"16," she told him. He locked his eyes with hers, and she stared back at him in defiance.

They remained like that for a few long moments, neither backing down. After a brief moment he too gave her a once over, but unlike his employee's, his was more calculating.

"...Be my guest," he said, chewing on his cigar and turning too look at Shades. "Put her on the list."

"What!? You can't b—"

"I ain't payin' ya to ask questions, now put her on the damn list!" his boss demanded, before walking off.

"Fine..." Shades muttered then picked up his pen. "Fuckin' Bennett…So, what's your name, so that we know what to put on your gravestone?"

"Ti—"she nearly slipped up. "Ayumi Logan."

"Mhm." He wrote it down, already seeming to have lost interest. "You got a stage name?"

"Yeah," she said. "Call me Shooting Star."

He scoffed but wrote it down as well. After that he told her where she had to wait until it was her time in the ring. It was a small dressing room, filled with a bench, some lockers and a punching bag. Tifa removed her leather jacket and boots, and placed them inside one of the lockers, before sitting down on the bench to apply the hand wraps that she had brought with her. After applying it, she opened and closed her fists a few times before walking over to the punching back and hitting it a few times. Satisfied, she nodded.

She did a few stretching exercises before sitting back down on the bench. Closing her eyes, Tifa waited until she was called, all the while using what her master had told her to calm her nerves for the upcoming battle.

Inhale. Exhale.

Inhale. Exhale

It wouldn't be easy, but she had to beat him. No, she WOULD beat him.

"_With Zangan-Ryu on your side, there is no opponent you can't beat!"_ she heard her master's voice inside her mind.

The opening of the door made her open her eyes again and the man named Bennett was standing there with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Showtime," he said, taking a drag from a newly lit cigar.

Tifa followed him as he led her to the ring. As she passed by, the crowd grew silent, and she heard some of them murmur to each other. Not paying them any mind, Tifa focused her gaze on her opponent leaning lazily against one of the cage walls, looking like he had just taken a stroll through the country side instead of beating opponents left and right.

Typhoon was a big guy, tall and muscular, with a brightly colored Mohawk on his otherwise bald head. He looked at her with a face like the entire world was a joke that only he understood. "So the little girl wants to play?"

The only answer she gave him was a glare which he simply shrugged away.

_ Arrogant. Doesn't take anyone seriously,_ she noted to herself, checking out the rest of the ring. It was surrounded by a cage. The opponents were effectively locked inside until the fight was over, and the lack of referee told her it was going to be a battle until either side gave up or was knocked out. She could work with that.

"Alright, everybody! Now we've got a special challenger who wants to take on the champ himself, but will she fare better than the last ones?" Bennett addressed the crowd. "Place yer bets, ladies and gents, on the match between the Disastrous Typhoon and the Shootin' Star!"

As the crowd cheered Bennett passed her by, whispering: "Ya look like ya know yer stuff...try makin' it interestin'."

After he left, the doors of the cage were closed, leaving her and Typhoon alone in the ring. Typhoon walked into the middle of the ring, cocksure as can be and Tifa walked over to join him, getting into her fighting position.

"The Typhoon usually doesn't fight girls, but I'm in a good mood, so I'll make an exception for you." He smirked and got into a fighting position as well. "Ladies first."

He wanted to play, so she would play.

Tifa threw a punch at him, one that she knew he would dodge, followed by another one, which he also dodged. Typhoon simply grinned at her, making a show out of it and causing the crowd to laugh. _ Let them laugh. _

She threw a feint and, knowing where he would dodge, jumped forward to slam her knee into his gut. Typhoon gasped and he stumbled backwards, clearly taken off guard. Not giving him time to recover, Tifa attacked him with a series of punches to the chest followed by a roundhouse kick that sent him stumbling to the side. Tifa bounded right after him, aiming a kick at his head as she jumped.

Typhoon's big fist grabbed her leg mid jump and used her momentum against her, spinning both of them around before slamming her face first against the cage. A sharp pain exploded on her cheek as she felt the steel cut into her skin, and she dropped to the ground. Before she could get back to her feet, Typhoon grabbed her by the head with both of his hands and dragged her to the middle of the ring.

"Play time's over," he said. He then slammed her face into the ground. Multiple times, like he was hitting a drum, before dropping her. A swift kick to her stomach rolled her onto her back and Tifa struggled in keeping her dinner down, gasping for the air that had been knocked out of her. A hand went up to cover her face, and she saw Typhoon as he circled her, facing the crowd and riling them up. She felt hot blood cover her fingers as it ran down from her cheek and nose, and she could feel her face starting to swell a little. But instead of making her crumble the pain only intensified her desire to beat him!

Typhoon turned to her with a smirk on his face, raising his hands as the crowd cheered for him.

"Say good night, little girl," he drawled and let himself drop down to slam his elbow into her midsection. At the last second, Tifa rolled out of the way. She saw Typhoon land hard on the ring floor and immediately twisted her body to grab hold of his hand and stemmed her foot against his shoulder as she started to pull. He let out a scream, and Tifa grit her teeth as he slammed his fist into her ankle, trying to make her let go, but she ignored the pain and instead pulled harder.

"Good night, little girl!" she spat out and twisted hard until his shoulder gave out with a sickening crack, which was nearly drowned out by his howl of pain.

Tifa let go of his arm and kicked him in the face one last time for good measure, using the force to roll away from him. Pain shot through her leg as she got back to her feet and Tifa could only hope that he didn't do too much damage. Trying to not put too much weight on her damaged foot, she got back into position. Typhoon had also gotten back on his feet and was gripping his damaged arm as it hung limply by his side. She saw the fury reflected in his eyes and the crowd around them was going wild. Some of them were even chanting her name now.

"_An enraged enemy will make mistakes, use that to your advantage."_ She heard Master Zangan's advice from the past.

She lowered her guard a little. Typhoon didn't waste any time and ran towards her with a speed that she wasn't fully expecting. She gasped as he grabbed her by the throat with his remaining hand and pressed her against the cage wall. The steel mesh pressed painfully into her back as Typhoon stared deep into her eyes. "You little bitch!"

For a split second she was reminded of Sephiroth, when he had stared at her before cutting her open, but she reminded herself that he was dead and that Typhoon was nothing more than an underground fighter. She had stared death in the eyes; she wasn't afraid of someone like Typhoon.

Tifa raised her hands and slapped them against his ears, causing him to loosen his grip on her. This was her chance. She kicked him away from her, making him stumble to the middle of the ring. Landing on her feet she ran towards him with a battle cry, feeling a surge like electricity flowing through her body. As she closed in on him she lowered herself, waiting for the right moment, then jumped as she was right in front of him, performing a back flip kick that hit him straight in the jaw.

She landed on the ground, gritting her teeth as the pain in her foot came rushing back, and looked towards Typhoon who was now lying motionless on the ground. Knocked out.

Slowly she turned towards the crowd. Everyone was staring at her in silent shock until the sound of clapping could be heard. Tifa turned towards the sound and saw Bennett approaching the cage door, making some of his people open it, still clapping his hands with a huge grin on his face.

"Bravo! What a show!" he said as he approached her, motioning for his men to carry Typhoon out of the ring. He then turned towards the crowd. "And the winner is: Shootin' Star!"

And as if a spell was broken, the crowd started to cheer, calling her name as she limped towards the exit of the ring.

"Want me to have someone look at your injuries?" Bennett asked as he was walking beside her.

"I want my money," she replied, not overly eager to stay any longer.

"Have it yer way. It's in my office. Come, I'll lead ya there."

He led her through the crowd and into his office. Compared to the rest of the club it looked downright luxurious.

"Sit down," he told her, and Tifa sat down inti one of the comfortable leather seats in front of his desk. It almost made her want to curl up and take a nap. "Want a drink?"

"Too young," she said.

This got a chuckle out of him. "'Too young', she says."

Tifa watched as he walked over to a safe embedded inside the wall and fiddled with the combination.

"I've gotta thank ya. Ya made me a fortune tonight," he told her. "When I saw that look in yer eyes I knew ya were different than the rest of them."

He turned and grinned at her as the safe opened.

"Best hunch of my life. Placed a solid bet on ya, and let me tell ya, those were some serious odds." He pulled out a briefcase and carried it over to his desk. Placing it on top, he opened it, then turned it for Tifa to see the stacks of Gil bills inside. She forced herself not to look in awe at the sheer amount of money she was seeing. "5000 bucks. Well earned."

He closed the briefcase and pushed it towards her. Tifa took hold of it and stood up from her seat.

"Thanks," she said and started to head for the door when he spoke up again.

"I've got a proposal for ya."

Tifa glanced at him. "I'm listening."

"That was a real good show tonight. The way ya've beaten Typhoon so quickly was damn impressive. I've seen guys two heads taller than ya have a tough time with that sumbitch," he said and chewed on his cigar. "Could use someone like ya. Always work around here for someone of yer talents."

"I didn't come here looking for work," she said. She doubted her master would approve of her becoming some hired thug for a club owner from the slums. "Sorry."

"Shame, but I can respect that." he folded his hands in front of him. "How about this then: ya need some quick cash again, ya come to me. I'll squeeze ya into the schedule as a little wild card match."

Now this _was_ a tempting offer, Tifa had to admit. But her head and face were hurting too much to make any informed decisions right now, so she left it at a simple: "I'll consider it."

She did take him up on his offer to have some of his security men escort her though, as she was in no shape to defend herself against a bunch of muggers or angry patrons that just lost a lot of money.

Gripping the briefcase tightly, she slowly made her way back to the clinic, where Dr. Hiragi was surely waiting for her.

* * *

"I hope the other one looks worse," Dr. Hiragi said in his calm doctor's voice, a slight hint of disapproval in his voice. He had immediately ushered her into his treatment room after he saw her come back home all beaten and bruised.

"Well he's the one that got a—" she hissed in pain as he applied the last butterfly bandage to the cut on her cheek.

"You're lucky it's not too deep. It might not even leave a scar," he said, and walked over to a small freezer, taking out a small cooling pad that he handed to her. "And your nose is still in one piece."

_Good to know,_ she thought and lightly brushed her nose with her pinkie. She liked her nose.

"Now what brought this on?" he asked her as he started to inspect her foot. She had taken the liberty to apply some first aid to it back in the club.

Tifa released a sigh as the cold soothed her aching face, glancing over the briefcase that was standing in the corner. "5000 Gil."

"That's a lot of money," he responded, and removed the hand wrap that she had used as impromptu gauze, then gently moved her foot to check for himself. "So, was that why you trained like crazy?"

"Yes, well, partly. I also wanted to get back—Ah!" she gasped out in pain."I wanted to get back into shape."

"Alright, nothing's broken," he said more to himself than to her. After having checked her foot he went and wrapped it in some actual gauze. "And why the desperate need to get that money?"

Tifa averted her eyes, using the cooling pad to shield herself a little from his gaze. She might as well come clean now.

"...I wanted to repay you. For everything," she admitted after another moment of silence, removing the cooling pad to look at Dr. Hiragi's calm face that was almost impossible for her to read. "You've spent so much money to provide for me and even more for creating this fake identity. I couldn't just sit around. And this was the fastest way to do so."

She averted her eyes once more, afraid of his reaction. It was weird, she did it for him, yet why did she feel so ashamed at the same time?

A gentle hand placed itself onto her shoulder. "I didn't do it because I expected you to pay me back, you know. I did it because it's what I wanted to do."

"But—" she found the courage to look at him again, and only found that kind smile of his, that always managed to disarm her.

"No buts," he said and effectively ended that argument. "I won't take any money from you. You've earned it, albeit in a way I don't approve of. It's yours. Do whatever you want with it, but don't give it to me."

Tifa couldn't believe what she was hearing. As always when she thought she knew the man in front of her he managed to surprise her anew. "Can't you just be selfish for once?" she asked with a little bit of frustration in her voice, but she still couldn't keep a smile from growing on her face.

"I could ask you the same." He shrugged and pulled off his medical gloves, throwing them into the waste bin. "You're 16 and just earned a lot of cash. Go and spend some of it instead of offering it to an old mule!"

Tifa laughed and shook her head. "And what for?"

"I don't know. Maybe some clothes? I'm afraid you're starting to outgrow my daughter," he said and slowly averted his eyes.

Tifa looked down at herself, where the top that she was wearing was a bit too snug around her chest. A blush rose to her cheeks.

Maybe he was right. Buying new clothes sounded like a good idea.

* * *

**Fighting scenes are a pain in the ass to write, just to get that out of the way.**

**Good news everyone. I'm going to update my upload schedule to two times a week, since I'm very much ahead with my writing that it shouldn't make any difference.  
And as always, enjoy, and maybe consider leaving a review.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry. I wanted to update yesterday, but I actually fell asleep as soon as I returned home. So here it is today!**

* * *

** Chapter 11  
**

Tifa walked into her room, clad in only a towel, her hair still a bit damp from her shower. After closing the door she dropped the towel to the ground and went over to her drawer, pulling out a fresh set of underwear and socks. As she put them on she glanced over to the mirror and looked at herself. Her hand went to the slowly fading scar across her chest.

She couldn't believe that it had been 3 years already since she had arrived in Midgar. It still felt like yesterday when she had woken up inside Dr. Hiragi's clinic, panicked and disoriented. The girl from back then was a woman now, she supposed, having matured in more ways than just her body.

With a sigh, she resumed putting on her underwear. After that she put on a cropped top and a short black leather skirt that she fastened with a pair of suspenders. She liked the skirt. Even back in Nibelheim she had been a skirt girl, though back when she bought this one she hadn't been too sure at first.

_"It's a very modern looking outfit,"_ the good doctor had told her when she asked him if it might be a bit too much.

After having gotten dressed she tied the ends of her long hair into a little dolphin tail, then walked closer to the mirror and inspected her face. Her lips had grown fuller over the years, but otherwise she felt like she didn't look that different. What had changed was the look in her eyes. Living underneath Shinra's capital had robbed her of that last bit of innocence in them.

Tifa found herself wondering: what would everyone think if they could see her now?

She was started out of her reverie by sound of someone crying coming from downstairs. With a confused expression Tifa left her room and headed down the stairs, the sound growing louder with every step thet she took.

Downstairs she found the source being a little girl,holding onto the leg of a man. "Papa, no!" she cried, her brown hair moving wildly as shook her head.

The little girl couldn't be more than 2 years old. The man she was talking to was a mountain of a man, his face dark skinned face covered by a full beard. But what really caught her attention was his right arm, where instead of a hand there was a huge gun attached to it.

_Who is that man?_ She wondered, taken aback at the sight of him.

"Sorry, doc," the man said to Dr. Hiragi, kneeling down towards his daughter. "She's just afraid cuz she doesn't know the place."

The doctor looked a bit amused in a way only someone that raised a child himself could be. Over the years his hair had grown a few more spots of gray in it, but was still kept in a neat ponytail. He was now sporting a very respectful looking mustache, and he had also grown a bit rounder, a fact that he attributed to her cooking whenever she teased him about it.

When he noticed her standing there he smiled. "Ayumi," he called her by the alias she had been using for two years now, and waved her over.

"Mr. Wallace, this is my niece, Ayumi." he introduced her to the man with the gun arm, who had managed to calm his little daughter a little bit. Cautiously, she walked over. Taking note of how the little girl hid behind her father's large leg, she felt some of her wariness fade.

Tifa couldn't help but smile at how adorable she was. "Hello," she greeted them.

"Mr. Wallace is here to get his arm looked at, but it seems his little daughter doesn't like the place," he said with an amused shrug.

"Ha, I can imagine." Tifa giggled and knelt down to the ground to get a better look at her. "If you want, I can take care of her while you're inside?"

"Hmm, I dunno. She's not good with new people either," Mr. Wallace said, sounding unsure and looking down towards his daughter, who was now brave enough to peek out from behind his leg. She gave the little girl a reassuring smile and slowly held out her hand towards her.

"Come, it's ok," Tifa said. The girl looked up towards her father, who gave her a nod. Ever so slowly, the girl stepped out from behind her father, walked towards Tifa, and placed her hand in Tifa's much larger one.

"Well I'll be..." the man muttered, then addressed his little girl with a big smile. "Daddy won't be long. Be good."

The girl turned to watch her father follow the doctor and while Tifa noticed her tense up and grip her hand tight, she didn't start to cry this time.

"What's your name?" Tifa asked. The girl turned and looked at her with big brown eyes.

"...Marlene," she said, and looked down to the floor. Tifa giggled again at how cute she was and gently placed a hand on her head.

"That's a cute name." She leaned a little closer and whispered. "I'm Tifa."

She knew she wasn't supposed to be mentioning that name inside the Sector, but this was just a little girl, and something inside Tifa made her want to be honest with her. Besides, what harm could it do?

"Tee...faa."

"That's right!" Tifa ruffled Marlene's hair, making the girl beam at her, and Tifa felt her heart swell inside her chest. Once upon a time there used to be a girl from Nibelheim, who would have loved nothing more to be a mother herself one day. But the girl grew up and had long since locked that wish away, together with her unsuccessful love life. But it seemed that her motherly instinct was still very much intact. After managing to get the girl to open up a little more, she had started to play a little game with her,that she had once seen a young mother do while Tifa had been sitting on the swings at the playground during one of her reflective moods.

For a girl her age, Marlene was already very bright and managed to pick up the simple game real fast. It did her soul good to see such a cheerful young child.

"Papa strong!" little Marlene said after the had finished playing, clapping her hands in delight.

"He is!" Tifa giggled. Mr. Wallace certainly looked the part and didn't seem to be hindered by the weight of the gun on his arm. But it made her wonder…

She could understand that he would want to protect his little girl, but the gun was a bit excessive just for protection. It almost felt like he come straight out of a warzone. His clothes and haircut definitely had a certain military flair. But it wasn't really any of her business, was it?

"Another game?"

"Yes. Game!" Marlene laughed and clapped her hands again as Tifa showed her another simple game. This one she had learned from watching one of her late neighbors back in Nibelheim. The memory caused anger to flare up inside her. Anger at the ones that took her previous life away from her, burning hot like the flames that day 3 years ago. But she forced that feeling down before it could show on her face and scare little Marlene.

As they were playing the door to the treatment room opened, and Dr. Hiragi and Mr. Wallace stepped out. Marlene, noticing that her father was back, instantly dropped what she was doing and walked over to her father with raised hands. "Papa, Papa!"

"Please remember what I told you, Mr. Wallace," the doctor said.

"I will. Thanks, doc." The gruff man nodded, then grinned as he saw his daughter. With his remaining large arm he lifted her up like it was nothing, rubbing his cheek against the little girl's, and making her laugh. "Been good?"

"Yes," Marlene managed to say between laughter.

The large man then looked at Tifa. He walked over to her, carefully holding the little girl close to him. "Ayumi, was it?"

"Yes." Tifa nodded.

"Thanks for takin' care of her," he said earnestly.

Tifa smiled at the man, folding her hands behind her back. "It's no problem. She was an angel the entire time."

"Still, thanks." He nodded at her. "Come on, Marlene. Say bye."

"Bye bye!" Marlene waved at her as father and daughter left the clinic.

"Peculiar man, isn't he?" the doctor asked her.

"Yes." He looked like he could blow a fuse at any second if one looked at him the wrong way, but when he interacted with his daughter he seemed to be the gentlest of giants.

As she thought about that fact there was a sudden moment of realization as her hand went to her skirt pocket, pulling out the mobile phone that Dr. Hiragi had given her as a birthday present last year. Checking the time, she noticed that she was running late.

"Shoot! Sorry, but I gotta go!" she told the doctor, who just waved in amusement as she ran out of the door. She jumped on the scooter that she owned and drove off as quickly as the engine could muster.

It had taken some time, but she had finally managed to get a job outside of Sector 3 last year. Sector 7 wasn't exactly around the corner, but that served her purposes just fine. She didn't need to hide who she was over there.

2 years had passed since Shinra made one of her friends disappear, and there had been no further signs of Shinra looking for her, so she had slowly started to become Tifa Lockhart again. She had quickly learned that the Shinra presence in Sector 7 was limited to a handful of guards on duty at the plate control and some security personnel at the train station that lead up to the plate, both of which were at the bottom of the barrel and just wanted to do their jobs without being bothered.

It was a definite far cry from Sector 5, which seemed to have way more patrols than any other area in the slums. She even heard rumors that the Turks were sniffing around that place.

Tifa passed the gates of Sector 7 and made a beeline towards her workplace, the 7th Heaven bar. She jumped off her scooter as soon as she came to a halt, jogged up the stairs and pushed open the wooden doors, sighing in relief that she had still made it in time.

The only one inside was old Otis, the owner of the place, standing behind the bar and cleaning the counter with a rag. He was weird one. A year ago, when she had come here asking for a job he had hired her on the spot, claiming he had been waiting for years for a girl, with a body like hers, to serve the people here.

…She may have hit him for that. Just a little. Well, enough to knock him on his ass actually, but she had felt bad immediately after!

But despite their rough beginning, he had taken her under his wing, showing her how to mix drinks and to take care of some of the administrative things when he wasn't around. Which had become more often in the year she had been working for him, actually.

"Hey, Tifa!" he greeted her, slinging the rag over his shoulder and giving her a lazy wave. As soon as he had done so he hunched over and started coughing heavily. Visibly concerned, Tifa joined him behind the bar and helped stabilize him so that he wouldn't fall down. After it subsided he leaned on the counter and gave her a crooked grin. "How's it goin'?"

"Everything alright?" she asked him.

"Just gettin' old is all." He stood back up straight. Tifa wasn't so sure about that. He always had a slight cough, but his fits had grown considerably worse over the past few months and it made her honestly worried for the old man.

"You know, I can call a doctor that I know. He could take a look at you," she told him, but he just waved her off.

"I know my body better than anyone else." He lightly slapped his chest. "There, all better now. Come on! The bar doesn't open itself, and we need to go over the inventory."

With a sigh she conceded, and followed Otis into the back to check on their alcohol supply.

As she was looking over the bottles and kegs she felt herself smile a little. She liked her work. It wasn't exactly how she had envisioned it years ago, but this was her life now.

* * *

**And the man, the myth, the legend himself has finally appeared. And the real MVP of course: Marlene.**  
**I actually did hint at this little scene in Post Crisis already, so some of you might find it familiar.**  
**More on Friday, and if you liked it maybe consider leaving a review.**


	12. Chapter 12

** Chapter 12 **

With a grunt her opponent hit the floor, blood running down his face as he struggled to get back up, before his strength finally left him and he fell unconscious. Tifa exhaled deeply, lowering her fists to her side while she looked at the man lying in front of her. He was a mess. His right arm was lying at an odd angle, he was bleeding from his nose, and his jaw was definitely broken.

She had gone too far; had let her anger get the better of her after he had made fun of her accent. Try as she might but sometimes her home accent still came through even after years of living in Midgar.

Tifa let her eyes roam over the cheering crowd outside of the cage, shouting her name, before she headed towards the opening cage doors, passing Bennett's people as they hurried over to carry her opponent out of the ring.

"AND THE WINNER IS: SHOOTING STAAAAAAAARRRRRR!" the announcer shouted into his micro, making the crowd cheer even louder. But she ignored them all and headed directly towards the locker room. Once inside, she slammed the door closed behind her, drowning out the sounds from outside.

She walked over to the sink and looked at herself in the mirror. A bright red bruise was forming on her cheek from the hit he managed to land on her and her lip was bleeding. Turning on the faucet, she removed her gloves and held her hands under the cold water. Gathering some of it, she splashed her face.

Coming here today had been a mistake. It was one of those days where all her dark thoughts and bottled up anger were becoming too much. Normally, she would go out to one of the more remote places of the slums, to find one of the stray monsters that roamed there, and let it all out. With a sigh, she leaned her forehead against the mirror, her breath causing it to fog up.

_What am I doing with myself?_ she wondered for the hundredth time. She had started to get her life back in order, or at least some semblance of it, but she wasn't at peace. The flames of her past haunted her to this day.

She felt trapped and she didn't know how to escape on her own.

A knock on the door pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Come in!" she called out, pulling back from the mirror and washing off the remaining blood from her lips. Bennett stepped into the room, freshly lit cigar in his mouth. Sometimes Tifa wondered if he also smoked one while he slept. That couldn't be healthy.

"Nice fightin, like always," he said as he approached her, grinning from ear to ear. "Bit more brutal than usual though. Havin' a bad day?"

"Something like that." Tifa turned towards the man.

"Happens to the best of us." He took a drag from his cigar, then handed her a small folder filled with Gil bills. "Here's yer money."

Over the years she had gotten to know Bennett a little bit. He was a businessman through and through, with his own share of shady dealings that she wished to be no part of, but he was reliable and always kept his end of a deal. A trait like that was admirable in a place like Midgar.

"Thanks," Tifa said, and she walked over to the locker where she kept her bag. Placing the money inside, she slung the bag over her shoulder, grabbed her gloves from the sink, and was about to leave when Bennett stopped her.

"There's a dude wantin' to speak with ya."

Tifa sighed and rolled her eyes a little. "Tell him to go away. I've had enough admirers that wanted to get into my pants to last me a lifetime."

"Don't think he's here for that. Dude looks like he means business, not pleasure."

"How so?" Tifa asked with a frown.

"Trust me. I know guys like him. Ain't no time in that guy's life for a pretty face and nice ass."

"You think he's with Shinra?" Tifa asked, and a feeling of anxiety nestled itself inside of her, but she was quickly assuaged as Bennett waved her off.

"Nah. If he were I woulda tossed his ass out right away, instead of botherin' ya. Ya know the rules: Their kind ain't welcome here."

That was true. Bennett's club was notorious in the area for being frequented by people with a grudge against Shinra. It was one of the reasons she still hung around the place, aside from the quick cash. It was like being among kindred spirits here, each having their own reasons to hate Shinra.

Exhaling deeply, Tifa nodded. "Fine. Where is he?"

"Put him in one of the VIP rooms. Sounds like a talk best made in private," he said and motioned for her to follow him. "Also, my security is on standby in case he starts any shit."

"Wow. That's really thoughtful of you," Tifa said with a teasing tone as they took the steps leading to the VIP rooms reserved for some of his 'business associates' from below and atop the plate.

Bennett let out a small laugh. "My momma raised a crook, but not an idiot. Ain't gonna have him in my club without security breathing down his neck."

As they approached the VIP room she could see two of his security guards already standing nearby. "Boss." they both said as they passed them.

Stopping in front of the door Bennett turned toward hers. "Alright. There's a button underneath the right side of the table. Press it and all of my men are gonna swarm in. Just in case."

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

"Ya made me some good money these last couple of years. It's the least I can do."

Tifa watched him leave, and she took a deep breath before opening the door. The instant she stepped inside, she was taken aback by who was sitting there at the expensive looking mahogany table.

It was the man with the gun arm. Mr. Wallace.

Only today, instead of a gun, he was wearing a hook on his arm. Tifa felt her bag slip off her shoulder as she stood there in shock.

"Ayumi," he greeted, and he crossed his large arms in front of his chest, striking an imposing figure and staring at her intently. "I didn't expect to find ya in a place like this. What would your uncle think?"

Hearing him address her with her alias did the trick of waking her from her momentary stupor, and she swallowed hard as she walked over to take a seat at the other side of the table, close to where Bennett said the button was.

"My uncle knows that I come here occasionally. He doesn't approve of it, but he doesn't stop me either," she told him, her right hand slowly moving under the table. "What would Marlene think of her father coming to a place like this?"

He grinned at that and dropped his arms, posture visibly relaxing. "Fair enough."

"So you wanted to talk with me?" she asked, also relaxing, but keeping her hand where it was.

"First off, that was a real good fight. Didn't know you had it in you. You doin' this for long?"

"I've trained since I was 14," she said evasively. Mr. Wallace looked at her for a moment, his dark eyes piercing hers, but she didn't back down.

"I'm lookin' for people with a grudge against Shinra."

"Well, you're in the right place for that. Everyone here hates Shinra." Tifa huffed, averting her eyes and looking out of the large window towards the ring, where another fight was currently taking place.

"But not the way you do."

Tifa narrowed her eyes, returning her gaze towards the man and glaring daggers at him. "What in tarnation do mean by that!?"

She watched him raise a brow. "Don't hear many people from Wutai sayin' things like that."

Tifa immediately paled, only now noticing her slipping back into a country accent. "Well, ah, I've been around!" she stammered. "And some things kinda stick with you! Anyway. What the hell do you mean!?"

He didn't even flinch as she slammed her hand onto the table, only looking at her with a grim, but calm expression. "You've got a fire in your eyes. One that I know all too well. Shinra did somethin' to ya that ya can never let go. I know that, because I've seen it every mornin' in the mirror."

She curled her hand into a fist, shaking as the anger welled up inside her again. Not at the man for looking through her so easily, but at the truth behind his words. No, she could never let go of what Shinra had done. "So what?"

"I'm gatherin' people to fight back against Shinra and stop them from destroyin' the planet."

Blinking, she looked at him in confusion. "What? Destroying the planet?"

"Mako energy is the lifeblood of the planet, and they're suckin' it up with their reactors. Eventually they're gonna bleed the planet dry, leavin' only an empty husk without life," he explained to her.

Destroying the planet...was it true? She remembered how the reactor on Mt. Nibel caused the mako fountains to dry up, because it was sucking all the energy out of it. But was Shinra so evil that they would even put the entire planet at risk just to make money?

Tifa closed her eyes, and she found herself back in Nibelheim, surrounded by the bodies of her loved ones, taken from her because of Shinra. Her thoughts then went to Jeremy, who had also become a victim of Shinra after she had made a mistake. Yes, she wouldn't put it past them to kill an entire world just to satisfy their greed.

But could they truly fight back against someone like Shinra? Was it possible?

She was shaken out of her thoughts by something clattering on the table in front of her, and as she opened her eyes she saw an older looking mobile phone lying there. Picking it up she gave him a puzzled look.

"It's a burner. Got only one number saved on it. It'll last for a week before it expires. Tell me your answer by then," he said as he stood up. Without anymore words he walked away from the table and left the room. Tifa remained where she was, still slightly shaking as the anger inside her was starting to subside. After she had finally calmed down, she also stood and picked up her bag, before leaving the room.

She left the club after saying a quick goodbye and thanks to Bennett, then headed back home, with the burner phone resting inside her bag and heavy thoughts on her mind.

_ What now? _

* * *

**And the plot thickens.**

**Here's a little thank you to all of my readers who stuck with this story so far. Still some more way to go here. :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**New chapter, everyone.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 13**

Three days.

Three days had passed since her encounter with Mr. Wallace, and what he had said weighed heavily on her mind. Was he serious about fighting against Shinra for the future of the planet?

_The future of the planet..._ She wondered. The whole prospect of it all just seemed so...grand. Her own, much more personal grudge against Shinra seemed to be so small in comparison. The idea of taking the fight to Shinra, to finally get her revenge, was almost too much to resist.

But could she really call her intentions pure if she only joined his cause out of petty revenge?

This and so much more had occupied her mind these last couple of days. She just...didn't know what to do.

With a sigh Tifa tore her eyes away from the burner phone lying on her desk, and turned towards the locket on her nightstand. In all her years that she had been in Midgar she had never worn it once. She was too afraid that the memories it would evoke would drag her down once more after she had fought to get where she was at now.

_Enough wallowing in self pity,_ she thought, before getting up from the chair she had been sitting in. She needed to get to work soon. As Tifa was heading towards the door, she stopped halfway and looked at the phone once more. Exhaling deeply through her nose, she walked over to the phone and slipped it into her other skirt pocket, then left her room.

After a quick goodbye to Dr. Hiragi she got onto her scooter and drove off. As she passed the various people living in the slums she had to wonder how it would be to be like them, blissfully unaware of what Shinra really was capable of, living a simple if impoverished life. Over the years she had learned that not everyone in the slums was miserable. Some were even quite content in their own way. They knew they were under Shinra's thumb, but they were living and getting by. To them, that was enough.

As she entered Sector 7 she saw one such individual sitting on the steps of his house, which was situated right next to 7th Heaven.

"Hey, Johnny!" she called out to him as she parked her scooter.

"Ack!" Her words had startled him right out of whatever thoughts had occupied him. "Oh, h-hey, Tifa."

Despite her not so great mood she felt a smile forming on her lips. She had met the redhead one evening during her first week working at the bar. It had been a bit rowdy and he had the unfortunate luck of being dragged into a fight with a few drunk patrons. The fight didn't last long as she had broken it up real fast, kicking the drunkards out ass first and giving the other patrons a little show as to why they had better not mess with the new barmaid.

It was safe to say nobody was all too eager to start crap again while she was around. Otis had joked about it for weeks afterwards.

After disposing of the drunks, she had taken Johnny to the side to take care of the cut on his hand, he had received when one of them had pulled a switchblade out. Not exactly the best first impression, but they had started to talk after that. Now, Tifa considered him one of her few friends.

"How're you doing?" he asked her as she ascended the bar steps.

"Ask me again after work," Tifa said and gave him a grin, her mood lifting at the prospect of work. She walked to the wooden door and planted her hand on it to push it open, only for it to not budge.

With a confused look she turned towards Johnny. "Isn't Otis in yet?"

"Haven't seen him all morning. Maybe he overslept again?" Johnny gave her a little shrug.

It wasn't really the first time the old man had overslept. With a shrug of her own she turned and walked down the steps, heading over to where Otis lived. He had a small house maybe a five minute walk away from 7th Heaven, so it wasn't too bad. Arriving at his house she took the steps two at a time and knocked on the door.

And when no one answered she knocked again, louder this time.

Still no answer.

With a frown she looked around to see if someone was watching and, when she saw none, pulled the slightly dented pipe resting above the door frame away to take the key hidden underneath. Otis had told her once that he kept a spare one there in case of an emergency.

Tifa unlocked the door and the first thing she heard was the TV running.

"Otis?" She called out as she followed the sound into his living room. She found him there, sitting in a comfy looking chair facing the TV, his feet reclined on a small footrest. Fast asleep.

With an annoyed sigh she walked over and started shaking him. "Come on Otis, wake up!"

When that didn't get the desired effect she began to shake him harder. Tifa frowned when she noticed that he felt oddly stiff and stopped to take a closer look at him. It was only then that she realized that he wasn't breathing.

_Oh, no!_ Her hand went immediately to her pocket, to pull out her phone and call Dr. Hiragi. She paced around the room as she waited for him to answer the phone.

_"Hello?"_ she heard him say as he finally picked up.

"Doctor? It's me," she said. She couldn't keep the slightly panicked edge out of her voice.

_"Did something happen?"_ he asked her, instantly taking notice of her tone.

"I'm fine," she reassured him. "It's Otis. I think it's best if you come...I...I think he's dead."

"...I'm on my way. Sector 7, you said?"

"Yes. I'll meet you at the bar. You can't miss it."

After hanging up, she left the house, closing the door and resting her back against it for a moment, taking deep breaths, before heading back to 7th Heaven. Thankfully Johnny had left, because she wasn't sure if she could talk to him right now.

She sat down on the steps, waiting for the doctor to arrive. After a while she saw him drive towards the building in his beaten old car. He stopped nearby and got out, holding a doctor's bag in his right hand.

"Follow me," she said, and they sprinted towards Otis' house. Once inside, she led Dr. Hiragi to him. Placing his bag on the ground he put on a pair of medical gloves and went to check for Otis' pulse. He then pulled out a stethoscope and checked his heartbeat just in case. After a brief moment he turned towards Tifa and shook his head, taking off his gloves again.

Tifa covered her face with her hand.

"Rigor mortis has already set in. It must have happened during the night." She could hear his steps approach her and felt as his hand landed on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. Was there anything unusual about him?"

"He always had a coughing problem ever since I've known him. But it's gotten worse over the last couple of months. I've told him that it might be better if he let a doctor take a look it, even offered to introduce him to you. But he insisted that he knew his body best and just getting old." She shook her head. "Stubborn old man..."

"I see..." He pulled his hand away and Tifa finally uncovered her face when she was sure that she wouldn't cry. "Does he have any living relatives?"

"No." She turned her gaze over to where Otis was sitting, still looking like he was fast asleep. It was only now that she noticed pale he truly was. "Do you think it was painful?"

"No, I think he went peacefully in his sleep," he said earnestly and it made Tifa feel a little better.

"What now?"

"I think it's best if you return home for now. I know someone. I'll call him and we're going to take care of him," he told her and pulled his phone out of his pocket.

Tifa could only nod, her mind growing numb. With slow steps she left the house, vaguely hearing Dr. Hiragi talk with someone on the phone. Without looking back she headed to 7th Heaven, got onto her scooter and drove back home.

* * *

Later that day Tifa was sitting on the stairs connecting clinic and living quarters as she waited for the doctor's return. The sound of the bell that rang whenever the door opened made her perk up; she already had to send a couple of people away that had wanted to see him, telling them he was out on business. But when the familiar voice of the doctor called out "I'm back!" she rose to her feet and walked over to him. He was taking off his jacket as she approached him and looked tired.

"Let's talk upstairs," he said before she could ask. Heading upstairs, they went into the kitchen where the first thing he did was make some tea. After he sat down at the table with her, he took off his glasses and rubbed his face.

"What was it?" she finally asked him.

"The pollution. As you know, the air under the plate is polluted, and from what we could tell, he already had weak lungs to begin with. His lungs couldn't provide enough oxygen for his body. I don't think I could have done much for him even if he had visited me once it got worse," he told her truthfully, then took a sip of his tea.

So that was it?

The pollution caused by Shinra's high tech reactors and the city they supplied killed another person in her life?

"What did you do with him?"

"We cremated him, like all the dead people in the slums. There's no place where we could give them a proper burial around here, so this is the best we can do." he took another sip. "What are you going to do now?"

"I...honestly don't know," Tifa exhaled deeply and leaned back, staring at the ceiling. She supposed she would need to find another job first. It made her feel bad to think so coldly when Otis wasn't even dead for an entire day yet, but without a job she was just back to being useless.

A metallic jangling of something being placed on the table in front of her made her turn her gaze downward again. There before her lay a set of keys.

"He had them on him," Dr. Hiragi said. She took a closer look at them and recognized the keys of 7th Heaven among them. After staring at them for a moment her eyes went back to the doctor.

"I...can't—"

"You once told me that you loved working behind the bar; that you enjoyed giving them advice, to try and cheer them up whenever they felt down about something," he said to her, looking up from his cup. "Otis may be dead, but 7th Heaven is still here. You're still here."

It was true. It gave her immense joy to work there. The patrons there were a colorful bunch, the regulars as much as the people passing through from the nearby train station. Each of them had their own stories that she loved listening to as she served them drinks. It had started out as a simple job, but had become so much more in that year she had spent there. It had become a part of her life; a part of who she was.

Taking the keys into her hand, she looked at them intently. He was right. 7th Heaven was still there, and so were the people that she could give just a little bit of solace to. But for that...

"...I would have to move out," she said to him. She could hardly take care of the bar 24/7 when she was living in an entirely different sector.

"You're 18 now. An adult woman." He smiled kindly at her. "In the years you've been with me I've seen you grow from a frightened girl into a confident, smart young woman. I'm honestly surprised you're still hanging around an old fool like me."

Tifa smiled at that. "You're not a fool to me. Never were."

"It's your decision. I won't force you to do anything, and whatever you decide, you've got my support."

Tifa looked at the keys inside her hand once more. It was strange. She thought that she would feel more conflicted about it, but she had already made up her mind. With newfound confidence, she looked the older man in the eyes.

"I'll do it."

* * *

**I know, we didn't really get to hang out with Otis much, but back in the cut content from the original VII it also mentioned that the previous owner died relatively soon after Tifa started working at 7th Heaven, so I wanted to reflect that. Also I wanted to showcase just how much of an unhealthy place the slums actually were. The original game only glossed over the fact by having Barret mention the air in the slums is polluted, but in the end we didn't really see much of it.**


	14. Chapter 14

**And that's the second chapter this week.**

* * *

**Chapter 14**

_This is goodbye, I suppose_, Tifa thought as her eyes roamed the room she had lived in for nearly three years. She had gathered all of her things the previous night. It wasn't much, just enough to fit into a large traveling bag that she could transport on her scooter without problems. It was a bittersweet feeling, leaving home.

Home…

The clinic really had become her home over the years. It felt like yesterday when she was just a frightened girl waking up in a sterile room.

Her eyes went over to the last remaining item from her belongings resting on the nightstand. She picked it up and opened it, looking at the photo of Zack, Sephiroth and herself inside it. But instead of the dread she imagined it would invoke, she just felt an odd mix of sadness and anger. Anger over what Shinra had wrought upon them and sadness over all the lives that had been lost that day. Her eyes focused on Zack, and she wondered where the good natured SOLDIER was right now. Was he the one that killed Sephiroth?

Closing the locket again she looked at it for a long moment before finally putting it around her neck for the first time in three years.

It felt surprisingly light.

She tucked it underneath her top, went to pick up her bag and left the room, closing the door on this chapter of her life.

Downstairs Dr. Hiragi was waiting for her at the door. He gave her one of his calm smiles. "You got everything?"

"Yes, it wasn't that much after all."

"I've told you, you should have bought more things for yourself," he said, making them both chuckle. They fell silent after that and Tifa looked at the man that had taken care of her all these years. She would never be able to repay what he had done for her.

"Ah! Before I forget," he said and headed into the back, emerging after just a moment with an arm sized wooden box that he held out in front of himself. "I've got this for you a while ago."

He opened it to reveal a beautifully crafted arm guard, made out of red and black leather. "I've noticed how you always use your left arm for defense, so I figured a way to protect it wouldn't be too bad of an investment. Come on, put it on!"

Tifa took it out of the box and slowly put it over the long, black detached sleeve that she liked to wear. It fit perfectly.

She let her fingers roam over the little runes engraved into the red leather, and she was overcome with a feeling of nostalgia. Old Nibelese runes. How did he know?

Her hand came to rest on the lightly studded elbow guard and she focused her eyes on the man in front of her who, as so often, managed to surprise her.

Feeling her eyes grow wet, she closed them. Clasping her hands in front of her thighs, she bowed her head low, like he had taught her years ago as part of her false identity. But she only managed to get halfway there when he pulled her into a hug.

As she felt the warmth of his body, the tears that she was so desperately trying to hold back spilled out of the corners of her eyes.

"Thank you, for everything!" she managed to say between sobs. They remained like this until Tifa managed to calm herself again. With a sad little smile, she slowly she separated herself from him. Dr. Hiragi returned the smile and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I hope you'll find what you're looking for," he said as he looked her in the eyes. "And if you ever need help, you know where to find me. So don't be a stranger."

"I know," she said, and wiped the last remaining tears from her eyes. Without any other words, she picked up her bag, turned around, and left the clinic to head towards the next chapter of her life.

* * *

Stepping into 7th Heaven felt strange, knowing that she would be holding the fort down alone from now on. Her eyes went to the place where Otis had been sitting just two days ago. She missed him.

With a sigh she went into the back and headed up the stairs. The upstairs area consisted of a hallway, a bathroom and two small rooms, one of which was Otis' office. Lacking a place of her own she would have to do with his office for now.

Inside, she dropped her bag on the floor and walked over to his desk, plopping onto the chair in front of it. She looked over the room, which was barely furnished, and did a few calculations in her head. She had saved up quite a sum of Gil over the years. Maybe it would be more cost effective to simply renovate and turn the office into her own personal room?

As Tifa debated the idea, she leaned back into the chair and felt something poke her behind. With a frown, her hand went to her pocket and pulled out the clunky burner phone.

That's right, she hadn't taken it out of her pocket since yesterday.

_The future of the planet_, she wondered once more, and her thoughts went immediately back to Nibelheim. She would never forgive Shinra, but Otis' death had opened her eyes to the fact that her own grudge was nothing to them and that there were other people suffering and dying due to their actions, and if someone didn't do something, their whole planet would soon follow. She couldn't just stand by any longer; they needed to be stopped.

Her fingers danced over the keypad, typing the simple words: _**I'm in.**_

And with a press of a button she sealed the deal. Releasing the breath that she didn't know she was holding, she spun in the chair. As she turned around her elbow collided with a stack of filing folders, knocking them to the ground.

With a small curse she got out of the chair and went to pick them up. As she did so, she noticed that a folded piece of paper was sticking out of one of them. Pulling it out, she turned it in her hand a few times before unfolding it. It looked like some sort of...map?

_No...construction plans._ She placed the plans on the desk and looked at them. These were the plans for 7th Heaven, back when it was constructed.

_Alright, so this is the second floor, this is the first…but what is this? _She wondered as her fingers ran along the lines drawn on the paper. Something was built underneath the first floor. Or was the bar built on top of it?

Her eyes went wide when she finally noticed a small encircled area, and she dropped back into the chair as she read the words that were scribbled there.

_What in tarnation?_ Tifa wondered before quickly rising out of the chair. Grabbing the plans, she run down to the first floor. She double checked the plans and went over to where they pointed. Carefully stepping on the floor, she noticed that one of the wooden panels was wobbly.

Tifa knelt down to the ground and tried to pry it open with her fingers, to no avail. With a sigh she pulled her fist back—

_Sorry, Otis._ —and slammed it into the ground, smashing the wood into pieces. With a sizable hole in the ground, she could now make out some sort of panel. Over the next few minutes she removed more of the floor until it revealed a solid steel hatch, leading underground.

A bunker. _What were you up to, Otis?_

Immediately the gears inside her head started to turn and she grabbed the phone Mr. Wallace had given her to type in another message.

_ **Come to 7th Heaven in Sector 7. Have to show you something!** _

* * *

It was only a day later that Mr. Wallace came to 7th Heaven, knocking on the heavy wooden door. As Tifa opened the door for him she had her phone pressed to her ear, motioning for him to come in.

"Yes, like I said to your employee the deliveries for the next month have to be canceled, maybe even the ones after too," she said to one of Otis' suppliers as she walked back towards the bar, where all sorts of paperwork was strewn over it.

"_What! Why!?"_ the voice on the other end asked. "_Give me Otis. I want to speak to him."_

Tifa sighed. "He's dead. Died two days ago."

"_Oh...Shit, sorry to hear that."_

"I'm taking over the place. But there's going to be a few changes around here, so it's going to be closed down for a while. But I'm hoping we can just continue to do business the way it was once everything's done."

The voice on the other end sighed. "_Yeah, that can be arranged. So long as I get my money."_

Tifa and the supplier went over a few more details before she hung up and placed the phone on the bar counter.

"Sorry about that," she said to Mr. Wallace, who was standing a bit further away, his arms crossed over his chest, and Tifa noted that today he was wearing his gun arm.

"Change in management?" he asked.

"Yeah. Welcome to 7th Heaven. My bar, as of yesterday."

"Mhm." He looked around. "Glad ya decided to join up. So ya wanted to show me somethin'?"

"Yup," she said and got up from her seat. She walked over to where she had broken the floor, now covered with a tarp. "Does our group have a place where we can meet?"

"No," he grumbled. "Been lookin' for one for awhile now."

"Well, you're in luck." She pulled the tarp away to reveal the hatch she had uncovered yesterday.

"What the hell!?" He knelt down to take a closer look.

"This bar is built on top of an old bunker. One that Shinra must have long since forgotten about. Too bad." She pressed a few buttons on the control panel and the hatch slip open, revealing a steel ladder leading downstairs. A second later the lights went on inside. "It's still fully operational."

Mr. Wallace turned his gaze towards her, a broad grin splitting his face as Tifa gave him a slightly smug look. He extended his large hand towards her. "Name's Barret. Welcome to Avalanche."

It was a bit awkward, since left wasn't her dominant hand, but she still managed to shake his. "I'm Tifa Lockhart. Ayumi was just a cover the doctor and me came up with."

Barret's grin only grew wider. "I know."

Tifa's eyes went wide with surprise. "H-how?"

"Aside from lapsing into your western accent?" he chuckled. "The day we met Marlene couldn't stop saying 'Tifa nice!' for hours."

Tifa slapped her face and groaned. Exposed by a 2 year old girl.

* * *

**Dammit. Outsmarted by Marlene yet again!  
Ok real talk for a sec. Just to clarify this is not a Remake fic, I just really, REALLY dig her arm guard from there. That's all.**

**Also next time we're gonna meet the rest of Avalanche! And hoo boy did I have fun writing that.**


	15. Chapter 15

**IT'S AVALANCHE TIME, BABY!**

* * *

**Chapter 15**

After she had formally joined Avalanche, Barret introduced her to other like minded people that had joined his cause. Their names were Biggs, Jessie and Wedge. It was then decided that 7th Heaven would serve as Avalanche's hideout, with the bar being a front that would provide the whole operation with money. A task that would fall upon Tifa since she was the newly declared owner.

To that end, all of Avalanche was currently busy with the renovation of the whole bar. The space upstairs would be changed into a small living area, with Otis' old office becoming her personal room while the other one would go to little Marlene. The rest ot the building would be expanded as well, to provide additional room for their little group.

Out of personal taste she had insisted they would go with a little more country flair, which no one complained about since she was the one bankrolling a lot of it with her own saved up Gil.

"Everything finished?" she asked Wedge, who was putting the finishing touches on the lighting for the new sign they had installed above the door. Wedge was a kind soul, maybe a bit shy. Which made her wonder why he was even running around with a guy like Barret, who was rough all over, but Tifa suspected he had his reasons.

"I think so. Can you go inside and switch it on?"

"Sure!" She headed inside and went over to the newly installed switch and flipped it on.

"YIKES!" Wedge yelped and Tifa immediately switched the lights off. She hastened out of the door to check on him. He had fallen off the ladder and was shaking his head, his dark hair standing on end.

"Are you alright?" she asked, and knelt down beside him.

"Yeah," he nodded. "Must've made a mistake with the wiring. Wasn't the worst shock I had, to be honest."

Tifa chuckled and helped him back to his feet. "Be careful. Wouldn't want to have our first casualty because of a house accident."

Wedge gave her a grin and a thumbs up, then walked back towards the ladder. Despite his appearance, Wedge was actually a bit of a jack of all trades and had some experience with electrical work as well as plumbing, but he also had really bad luck. Tifa just shook her head and was about to comment when a pickup drove up to the bar.

"Yo!" Biggs called out to Wedge and Tifa as he got out of the car. Biggs was a bit rough around the edges, but a fun guy to be around. "Got what you wanted, Tifa."

"That fast?" Tifa jumped down the stairs and walked over to Biggs, who crossed his arms in front of his chest while giving her a smug grin.

"You betcha." He pointed over his shoulder to the back of the car, where a large wooden crate was placed on the load area. "Gimme a hand, this thing is heavy."

They both got onto the back and carefully lifted the crate onto the ground. From there they slowly carried it into the bar. "Where do you want to put it?"

"Let's put it over there for now," she said and motioned with her chin to a corner near the bar. After having placed the crate on the ground, Biggs sat down on of the seats to catch his breath, while Tifa walked over to the tools strewn over the floor and picked up a crowbar.

With the crowbar she pried the crate open and removed some of the straw filling to uncover a brand new stove.

"What the—"she turned towards Biggs. "Where did you find one in that condition?"

"Got some bad friends with good connections," he said before he leaned against the counter.

"Do I want to know?"

"Probably not." He chuckled. "So, how about a drink?"

"How about you stop slacking off!?" shouted a voice from downstairs.

"I just carried a big ass crate, I ain't slacking off!" Biggs shouted back and Tifa hid a grin behind her hand.

"She's right though, it wouldn't be a good idea to drink this early. We've still got a lot to do."

"Fine, fine." Biggs mock grumbled as he ran a hand through his black hair. Getting up from the seat, he headed upstairs. "You're a slave driver, Jessie!"

"I love you, too!"

Shortly after he left, the owner of the voice emerged from the bunker, her brown hair a bit tousled from work. Jessie was a real tech wiz, so it fell upon her to set up all the hardware that their operation needed inside the bunker. Of course getting the hardware alone was a mission in and of itself, so right now she was just trying to tap into the city network with a small handheld computer.

Jessie walked over to Tifa, who was busy trying to remove the rest of the crate, and took a peek inside.

"Wow, so Biggs isn't entirely useless after all," she said with a low whistle, and Tifa had to stifle a laugh as a shout came from upstairs.

"I HEARD THAT!"

"Yeah, well, DON'T GET A BIG HEAD NOW!" Jessie shouted back and gave her a wink. It felt nice, having another girl around. Tifa never had any female friends when she was a kid, and Jessie was fun to be around.

"So where do you think you'll put it?" Jessie asked, and slapped her hand against the crate. Tifa thought about it for a moment, then formed a picture frame with her thumbs and index fingers and moved them across the room.

"Over there. We'll extend the bar counter and pull up a wall over there to separate the kitchen from the rest of the bar." And luckily with the bunker underneath they could just reroute some of the electricity to power the new additions.

Jessie followed her gaze and nodded. "Yeah, I can see it..."

"So how's it going downstairs?"

"Eh, could be better." A grin then split Jessie's face. "But that bunker is amazing. How Shinra could actually forget about it is beyond me. It has a connection straight into the central network. Once I've hacked into it we can forge our own IDs and they'd be none the wiser!"

Tifa laughed. It was hard not to get infected by her enthusiasm even if she didn't understand half of what Jessie was saying sometimes.

"Makes me wonder why the old owner had the bar build on top of it though?"

"I surmise Otis had a reason for buildin' it."

Jessie stared at her for a second before bursting into giggles. Tifa gave her a quizzical look. "What?"

"Sorry," she said amidst giggling. "Your accent just slipped."

"Oh!" Tifa felt her cheeks grow hot and she brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "I've tried getting rid of it to better fit into Midgar, but sometimes it still spills through."

"Aww, don't worry. It's kinda cute."

"Wasn't too cute when I didn't get a job because of it," Tifa said with a wry smile.

"Can't account for jackasses, RIGHT BIGGS!?" Jessie shouted the last part.

"WHATEVER YOU SAY, SWEETHEART!" Both Jessie and her burst into laughter, and Tifa had to use the crate for support as to not fall over. Jessie playfully pushed her shoulder, making her yelp and push back, causing their laughter to grow even louder.

After they calmed down, Tifa pointed towards the bunker entry. "Any idea how we're going to hide it?"

"Hmm. Beats me. Barret was thinking of building a hidden elevator. Said we could remove the ladder and replace it with hydraulics," Jessie said with a shrug. "But how to cover it up?"

"Maybe a pinball machine?" Tifa offered.

"That...doesn't actually sound too bad. Where to place the switch though?"

While Jessie was thinking about that little detail, Tifa went back to disassembling the rest of the crate. After she was done she dropped the crowbar to the ground, startling Jessie out of her thoughts, and removed the remaining straw that was sticking to the stove.

"I think that should be it!" she heard Wedge's voice from outside. "Can you turn the power back on again?"

"I gotcha!" Jessie called out before Tifa could, walked over to the switch and flipped it.

"Oh! Hey Barret how—YIKES!" They heard Wedge yelp, followed by the sound of his body hitting the ground.

"Wedge, what the hell are ya doin'!?" Barret shouted.

"Sorry!"

With a sigh Tifa pressed her palm against her forehead and closed her eyes.

There was still a _lot_ of work left to be done.

* * *

**Aaaah, I had way too much fun writing this one. Especially the banter, I hope ya'll like it too.**

**And as always, consider maybe leaving a review, it's always appreciated :)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Ya'll ready for a new chapter. Oh and in case anyone wants to read something more saucier, I just recently uploaded "A Call of Spring", which should satisfy a few people, and might make some others wanna strangle me XD.**

* * *

**Chapter 16**

"Alright you two. Tell me what you think," Tifa asked of Biggs and Wedge, both of which were sitting on the other side of the bar counter. In front of Wedge she had placed a plate with corn fritters, while in front of Biggs she placed a cocktail that was still a work in progress; a little experiment to recreate an old drink from Nibelheim with what little ingredients she could manage to get here.

"Wow, these are tasty!" Wedge said immediately after the first bite, then started to dig in like he hadn't eaten in a week.

"Hmm, but good enough to be on the menu?" she pondered out loud, the corners of her lips turning upwards into a smile. Wedge was her to go to taste tester whenever she tried out a new recipe. Or when she cooked in general, really.

...Did he gain some weight?

"For sure!" Wedge said in between bites. It was hard to come by any of the more fancier ingredients unless you went on top of the plate, and buying stuff up there wasn't always the most affordable of things, so Tifa tried to make do with what she could get down here to cook something delicious and filling.

Her eyes went over to Biggs, who had taken a sip of the cocktail, closing his eyes and furrowing his brows in concentration.

"Is that..." He smacked his lips a little. "Cherry?"

"Mhm." Tifa nodded.

"And, some spices?"

"Yup, so how is it?" she asked, then leaned on the counter. Biggs took another sip and shook his head a little.

"I dunno, it's not bad, but something about it isn't entirely right," he said and crossed his arms in front of his chest. Tifa rubbed her chin in thought. While she was trying to recreate an old Nibelhim beverage, she could hardly make any mead around here, so she had to substitute a little.

"Back to the drawing board," she said and picked up Wedge's empty plate. "Seconds? There's still some left."

"Oh definitely! Thanks," Wedge called after her as she headed into the kitchen. A minute later she emerged once more with the rest of the corn fritters and placed them in front of Wedge.

"Dig in!" she said with a grin. She then turned around to count the bottles.

Behind her she heard the door open, and she looked over her shoulder to see Jessie walk in.

"Hey, guys!" She greeted them, then looked around. "Slow evening?"

"Yeah. Decided to close up early because of it." Ever since reopening 7th Heaven they had a steady stream of regulars, but even that didn't stop slow days from happening.

Jessie simply shrugged as she sat down next to Biggs. Placing her little handheld computer on the bar counter, she snatched the experimental drink away just as Biggs was about to take it again.

"HEY! I was drinking that!" But Jessie just raised the index finger of her left hand to shush him as she drank the rest in one go.

Placing the glass back on the counter, and ignoring the bristling Biggs, Jessie looked at her. "I think it needs to be sweeter. So maybe some more sugar?"

"Hmm." Nibelese mead was on the sweeter side, so that could potentially do the trick.

"By the way, does that mean you're free?"

Tifa gave her a confused look, but nodded. "I guess so. Why?"

"Good. You can join me on my reconnaissance mission then!"

A reconnaissance mission? She hadn't heard anything from Barret about that. She looked over to the other two, who each gave her a shrug. Biggs also waved his hand as if to tell her "Please, just take her away!".

He was pretty good at making himself understood without using words.

"Fine," Tifa said with a shake of her head, and stepped out from behind the bar. She was just hoping she wouldn't regret this.

"Great. Let's go!"

* * *

As it turned out, the term _reconnaissance mission_ apparently meant _a girl's night out_ in Jessie's vocabulary, and Tifa found herself listening to the beats of some song she didn't know while sitting in a cubicle inside a little night club in Sector 4. It wasn't exactly her kind of music, but she could see why people liked it as a groups people danced nearby.

Jessie was standing at the bar, chatting with some guy while she was waiting for their drinks. As she watched them it became very clear to her that the other woman was a shameless flirt who wasn't afraid to make her interest known. Tifa envied her a little for that. Her past experiences had made it hard for her to open up to other people.

Tifa saw Jessie brush her hand along the guy's arm as she gave him a little wink, before turning towards the bar to take their drinks. As the other woman headed over to her, she noticed that the guy had turned to talk to the barkeeper.

"Drinks are on my new friend," Jessie said as she placed their cocktails on the table while sitting down opposite of Tifa.

"New friend, huh?" Tifa asked with a teasing tone, making Jessie wink at her as well. She took the cocktail, a little blue thing she couldn't name, and took a sip. Not bad. _Blueberries?_

"I can't help it. I'm just so charming."

Tifa chuckled. "That's one word for it. So much for 'reconnaissance'."

"Hey!" Jessie looked at her in mock offense, then leaned towards her, whispering in a conspiring tone. "I'll have you know this is some serious industry espionage here."

"Is it now?"

"Uh-huh." Jessie nodded. "We're spying on your upper plate competition!"

"Has anyone ever told ya that you're full of crap?" Tifa asked with a grin, resting her chin on the palm of her left hand and running a finger along the rim of her glass.

"Been told it's one of my more endearing traits, you know after my technical expertise," Jessie said, looking downright smug as she sipped on her own drink. Tifa let out a huff at that.

They fell silent for a while, simply enjoying their drinks and watching the people around them, or checking out some guys in Jessie's case. After a while the other woman began to speak once more.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" she asked.

"Depends on the question," Tifa said, unsure at the whole prospect. She would rather not have to answer any questions about her past. So far she had only told Barret, and even then she had only told him that Shinra was responsible for the destruction of her hometown. The others had left her blissfully alone on the topic.

"I was wondering..." Jessie looked down at her hands. "How is it that a girl like you is single?"

Tifa blinked once. Twice. "Come again?"

"How come you're flying solo?"

"Erm, because?" Tifa felt herself blush.

"I mean you're pretty hot. The guys should be lining up in front of you. Like that guy over there is totally checking you out!" Jessie pointed to a corner where a group of young men were sitting, but Tifa just raised her hand to cover her face. She had changed her mind; she would rather answer questions about her past!

"Be quiet!" Tifa hissed. "And I'll have you know that I've gone on dates, they just..."

Jessie raised her eyebrows. "...they just?"

Tifa sighed, her gaze dropping to the table. Her hand moved to brush a lock of hair behind her ear, a hint of a frown creasing her brow. "They just didn't go anywhere. They weren't bad, but I just couldn't get into them."

"Wow, I don't know what to say," Jessie said and stared at her. "So you're telling me you never had a boyfriend?"

"Actually I did, but that only lasted 2 months."

"Yikes, what happened?"

Tifa's eyes focused on the glass in her hand before she lifted it to her lips and took a large sip. "I happened."

She took a deep breath before resuming. "His name was Gilbert and I met him shortly after I turned 17."

She had been grocery shopping at the time, and he worked at the store. They had gotten along quite well and after a while he had asked her out on a date. "He was a nice guy, but I was living a fake life at the time. That put a strain on things from my side. And as we grew closer I felt myself clamming up."

A wry smile formed on her lips as she looked back towards Jessie. "The most I could bring myself to do was kiss him, and even that missed the spark you'd expect when you're in love. So I ended it before both of us could get hurt."

"Shit..." Jessie sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to bring up bad memories."

Tifa laughed humorlessly at that. It wasn't even such a bad memory. "After that I had a few meaningless dates with other guys until I just stopped dating at all. I had gotten a job to focus on by that time anyway, so it was probably for the best."

"Have you ever figured out why you felt like that?"

"Nope." That was only partly true as Tifa's mind unconsciously went back to a certain night in December, so many years ago, and she felt her heart flutter in a way none other had managed to do. But it's been so many years since then; logic was telling her that she should have moved on from those feelings long ago. But the heart was seldom logical.

It was a bit pathetic. Tifa just chuckled at the thought, easing the tension between the two of them. "So I'm guessing you've had more dates?"

"Not as many as you might think."

"Humor me," Tifa said. "What was your last date?"

"That was, let me think..." She drummed her fingers on the table. "Some guy from Sector 2. Was pretty boring all in all. The only memorable thing that evening was his sister coming onto me."

"What, really?"

"Yup."

"I don't think I would know what to do if another woman hit on me," Tifa said. Even in the years she had spent in a city such as Midgar it felt like a foreign concept.

"Oh, don't knock it until you've tried it. You might actually like it," Jessie said with a wink.

"I don't know."

"Well how about it..." Jessie got out of her seat and sat down next her. Tifa felt herself backing away as Jessie stared deep into her eyes, but eventually she ran out of space as she hit the wall. Slowly the other woman leaned into her. "Wanna make out?"

Tifa felt heat rush into her face and her eyes fluttered to Jessie's lips. It was only when she saw the grin on them that she realized that Jessie was pulling her leg, and she playfully pushed Jessie away, making her laugh. "You're an ass!"

"Sorry, couldn't help it. You should've seen your face."

"Ha ha, very funny." But despite being the butt of a joke she felt much better now.

After another round of drinks the two of them decided it was better to head back home. By the time they arrived back in Sector 7, the streets were completely empty and the lights at 7th Heaven were all turned off. As they ascended the steps, Tifa felt a hand reach out towards her own, gently taking hold of it.

"Tifa?"

Tifa turned towards Jessie, who had taken her hand. What she saw surprised her. In contrast to the confidence she had shown earlier, she looked downright unsure now, her eyes darting back and forth. "I had fun today."

"I had fun today, too." she frowned. "Jessie, are you alright?"

"You know...I was only half kidding. Back at the club, I mean."

Her eyes widened in surprise, and she felt her heartbeat quicken at the realization of what Jessie was saying.

"So I was hoping that maybe the two of us could do this again. That is...if you'd like?" After saying those words the other woman let go of her hand and lifted her gaze to look her in the eyes. Part of Tifa wanted to run away, to slam the door closed on the very idea, while another part told her that she also had fun today. But she had never dated a woman before. Could she do it? Or would this just end like all her other dates?

"You've heard my dating history. And you're still asking me on a date?"

"...Yeah."

"I can't make any promises."

"I know, and I'm not asking you to."

Tifa looked at her for a long moment.

"...Alright. It's a date."

* * *

**Some of you are probably going "Holy crap, Seni, what the hell are you doing!?" and I can just say "Surprise!". Heh. Ah but you know what the true endgame will be anyway, so I'll ask you to just go with it. ;)**

**I have a very specific plan for Jessie.**

**As for Tifa's ex-boyfriend, if you wanna call him that, I feel Tifa would probably have tried dating people while in Midgar, but ultimately it would go nowhere for a variety of reasons, and that's all I'm saying on that subject.  
**


	17. Chapter 17

**Well well, let's see how this goes, shall we?**

* * *

**Chapter 17**

Tifa sat on her bed, running a comb through her hair as she stared blankly at the mirror hanging on the wall. Was she crazy for doing this? Hadn't she essentially sworn off dating?

So why was she doing this?

_Because you want to give it another try_, a tiny voice inside her mind said to her, and Tifa found herself agreeing with it, despite all the failures and dates with random guys leading to nothing.

But this time was different. This wasn't just some guy. This was Jessie, her friend, and another girl for that matter. Was it really worth another try if it could turn things tense between them in the future?

_She knows what she's getting into. No promises, remember? _Said the voice once more. In the end she had already agreed to it two weeks ago. More than enough time to change her mind. She would try in earnest today and have a good time. It was only fair to Jessie. And to herself.

Her eyes went to the dress draped over her chair. It was a red colored, off shoulder dress, with long scrunch lace sleeves, ending mid thigh and revealing just a little hint of cleavage and showing off part of her back.

Putting the brush aside, she rose from the bed and walked over to the dress. After Tifa put on the dress, she checked herself in the mirror, turning around to see if everything still fit. She then walked a little closer to inspect her face.

Should she put makeup on?

She was never _that_ big on it even back in Nibelheim, where she had put more effort into making her hair look pretty, something she still tried to do even in a place like Midgar. She felt kinda proud of how long it was, even if it could be a pain to dry after a shower. Looking over what little makeup she did have, Tifa decided to go with her lip gloss to enhance the natural rosiness of her lips. She put on a little bit of mascara as well, like she did for work. Pretty eyelashes did bring in tips. She also decided to put on some eye shadow for once. Might as well up her game a little from the usual.

After applying her makeup she gave her face a final once over. Satisfied with what she saw, she put on a pair of high heels and grabbed her purse before leaving the room. She walked over to the other room, opening the door as quietly as possible to check up on Marlene. She smiled as she saw the little girl sleeping without a care in the world.

Quietly closing the door again, she headed down towards the bar. She could hear the hustle and bustle of their regulars through the metal door that kept the bar separate from the upstairs area. As she stepped through the door everyone suddenly became quiet as they turned to look at her. The only thing breaking the silence was the jukebox playing Billy Gil's _Dumbapple Hill._ Tifa felt the heat rush into her face and she quickly turned towards Biggs, who was standing behind the bar.

"Thanks for filling in for me," she said to him, giving him the most gracious smile that she could manage with everyone staring at her. Biggs, too, stared at her for a second before shaking himself out of it. He gave her a friendly.

"No sweat. You're always working hard, so it's the least I can do if you want a night off once in a while." He scratched the scruff on his chin, then pointed over his shoulder at the bottles on the wall. "I know my way around a drink or two, so nobody's gonna be thirsty in your absence."

"Just make sure most of it doesn't go down the barkeep's throat," Tifa said with a wide grin, making Biggs grab at his heart in mock shock.

"Now you're starting to sound like Jessie, too!" He then grew a little serious. "Speaking of...Have you seen her around today?"

"No. Haven't seen her all day." And that wasn't a lie. The other woman had kept strangely away from them, only sending her a message a few hours ago saying that they would meet at the train station. Jessie and her had specifically decided not to tell everyone about their plans, just in case.

"I see. Wonder what's keeping her busy..."

"She's a big girl and can take care of herself," she said, and checked the time on her phone. "I better get going. See you!"

"Have fun!" Biggs called after her. Tifa ignored the looks she was getting as she left the bar, but she could swear she heard someone mutter: "Lucky son of a bitch."

Outside she almost ran into Barret, standing there in full bouncer mode. "Hey. Sorry for springing this one on you all so suddenly."

"Don't worry," he said, looking like his usual sour self, but his voice didn't match his look, holding an affectionate tone only reserved for Avalanche and Marlene. "Just be careful. Shinra types could be everywhere."

"I will," Tifa said and smiled at him before leaving. Barret could be a little paranoid, but her own past with Shinra had taught her such paranoia was well justified. But unlike what the other's probably thought she was going out with someone they could all trust with their lives.

As she arrived at the train station, she could see a figure sitting on the steps. Jessie. Unlike Tifa she was a bit more eager to show some skin, with her navy blue spaghetti strap dress showing a generous amount of cleavage. Her legs were covered in a pair of dark stockings that matched the high heeled boots she was wearing.

"Hi!" Tifa called as she walked up to her, making Jessie look up. Her hair was still in her usual high ponytail, but she had forgone the headband. She was wearing makeup as well, the dark eyeliner and maroon lipstick enhancing her already pretty features by a large degree.

"Tifa," Jessie greeted her back with a breathy voice as she rose to her feet. Tifa smiled inwardly when she noticed the other woman was getting a little flustered. "You, uh, look very nice."

"Thank you. You don't look too shabby yourself," she said and folded her hands behind her back. "I'm guessing that's why you were a no show all day?"

"Heh, yeah. No way I could've pulled this off without anyone noticing. Went back to my old place for a bit. Had to take care of something else to prepare as well."

"So what's the plan for tonight?" Tifa asked.

Now that confident look, that she was so used to, returned. "Ever been to Sector 8?"

Tifa shook her head. "I'm afraid not."

"There's a nightclub I've been wanting to check out, Club Shiva."

"So why haven't you yet?" Tifa asked with only a slight bit of teasing in her voice as they headed into the train.

Jessie turned her head, locking her brown eyes with hers. "Been waiting for a special date."

Hearing those words made Tifa avert her eyes almost instantly, but the corners of her lips rose into a smile. "Thank you..." she said quietly as they sat down on the train seats.

Silence set itself over them as they watched more people boarding the train. After a few more minutes,the train departed, making them shake a little in their seats as it started to pick up speed.

_Shouldn't we talk about something?_ Tifa wondered. She was about to voice her thoughts when she felt Jessie gently prod her shoulder with her own.

"Say, have you ever seen the train system of Midgar?"

Tifa was slightly taken aback by that, but regained her composure quickly enough, shaking her head. Jessie grinned and took her hand.

"Come on. I'll show you," she said, then led Tifa towards a display embedded inside the train wall. After Jessie summoned up the map of Midgar, she explained to her how the train system was conceptualized and then put into practice.

"You sure know your stuff," Tifa said. She had to step a little closer as some passengers came through.

"It's my one big passion. Technology, and all it can do. It's just all sorts of interesting to me. Is that weird?" Jessie asked.

"I don't think it's weird. You're a smart person and we wouldn't have been able to do half the things we've done without you," Tifa said to her in an encouraging tone. It was true. The way Jessie could make fake IDs rivaled Dex, and he used all sorts of professional equipment from his legal job. "Besides, I don't have the most girly hobbies either."

"Speaking of, would you mind showing me a few martial arts moves someday? My own skills are a bit lacking in that area, and I feel it might become important in the future."

"I'd love to," she said with a smile. Then all of a sudden the lights started to flash red and an alert went through the entire car. The checkpoint signal. Out of sheer instinct, she felt herself seize up. She hated that sound.

A hand placed itself gently on the small of her back and she felt herself being pulled closer to the other woman. The subtle smell of Jessie's perfume entered her nostrils and she felt herself calm down.

Tifa found that she didn't mind the closeness at all.

* * *

**Hmm, that train monitor is like Jessie's special flirt place. Date is gonna continue in the next chapter. Stay tuned.  
**

**And if you like this, consider a review maybe. It's always appreciated.**


	18. Chapter 18

**And let's continue you where we left off with these two ladies, shall we?**

* * *

**Chapter 18**

They left the train and walked into the Sector 8 train station. Just setting foot into it told Tifa that this area of Midgar must have way higher costs of living than most other sectors.

"Wow," Tifa said as she looked at the large domed ceiling made of glass.

"Sector 8 is pretty much the entertainment center of Midgar. Lots of money makers living here too," Jessie explained to her.

"Incredible," Tifa murmured. The few times she had been above the plate was to run some errands with Dr. Hiragi, and those were always in sectors with more middle class citizens. Those had already felt like a different world from the slums, and her hometown especially. But this was on a whole different level.

Tifa felt Jessie loop her arm around hers, giving her a wink when she turned to look at her. She let herself be led out of the train station and onto a huge plaza with a fountain at the center.

They were heading down a street when something caught Tifa's eye.

"What's that?" she asked and pointed at the huge building that had a huge poster of a beautiful woman with short hair.

"Midgar's most famous theater. Oh! They're performing Loveless again!"

"Love...less?"

"I assume you haven't seen it?"

"Can't say I have," Tifa replied, a little curious.

"It's a famous play. Pretty romantic."

Tifa quirked a brow. "With a name like that?"

"I honestly have no idea why it's called that. I heard the original script was never finished, so everyone has their own interpretation," Jessie said, earning herself an incredulous look from Tifa.

"You're pulling my leg now." But Jessie only laughed.

"Nope!" Jessie chuckled. "This whole area here is called _Loveless Avenue_ as well. Can you believe that?"

Tifa could only shake her head as Jessie took the lead again. Walking down the street, Tifa took note of someone standing near the theater entrance. A young woman was selling flowers to a passersby here and there, and she was considering for a moment to turn around and buy one herself. One seldom saw flowers in the slums.

But Jessie's eagerness won her over in that moment, and soon they arrived at Club Shiva. The first thing Tifa noticed was the neon rendition of the legendary ice goddess herself on top of the entrance; the second was the huge line of people in front of it.

Jessie herself didn't seem to be phased by it at all, instead waltzing right up to the entrance, with Tifa following close behind. A bouncer stepped up to them.

"Sorry, ladies, but you gotta get in line like the other folks," he said to them, but Jessie simply slipped her hand into her purse and pulled out a card that she handed to him. The bouncer took it and looked it over, his eyes flickering back to Jessie's face as he checked the photo on it. He then produced a handheld card reader from his back pocket and slid the card inside. It took a few seconds, but the device eventually let out a short peep as the lamp on it started to glow green.

"Sorry 'bout the inconvenience, ma'am," he said and handed the card back to Jessie, then motioned for them to head inside. "Enjoy your stay."

"Why, thank you," Jessie said as she put the card back and guided Tifa inside.

The interior of the club was, as fitting for a place with the name Shiva on it, kept in a cold theme, the entire furniture looking like it was made of ice. All around them people were dancing to the beats of the songs, drinking and laughing while generally having a good time. She shuddered when a slight chill overcame her.

Was it cold in here?

"There's our seats," Jessie said and pointed towards an area further away from the dance floor, separated by a golden chain and two more bouncers.

This time they were let through without a fuss. Jessie led her to a spot that was out of earshot from the two men in suits, then casually sat down. Tifa looked a bit wary and made sure that the sofa wasn't really made of ice before sitting down next to her companion.

"What was that?" Tifa asked.

"Outside?"

"Yeah."

Jessie chuckled. "This place got VIP membership, but there's so many customers going in and out the bouncers can't tell everyone apart just by looking, so they use a computer system to register their VIPs. I spent the last couple of days hacking into this place's databank and create a fake membership for myself."

"Alright, I'm impressed," Tifa admitted.

"You think that's impressive, just wait until you see what I'm currently cooking up." Jessie leaned in closer to her and lowered her voice. "I'm writing a software that will get rid of any potential back doors that Shinra might have on our phones. That way we can coordinate better."

Ok, now this was _really_ impressive. Tifa could only stare at Jessie with wide eyes, her mouth agape. It must have been a funny sight as Jessie let out a little snicker.

Luckily, Tifa managed to regain her composure when a waitress approached them.

"Good evening, anything you'd like to drink?"

"I told you the service here was extraordinary, babe," Jessie said, leaning back into the seat. "I'll be taking a Carbunkle's Crystal and my lovey companion here—"

"Something to warm me up," Tifa said, running her hands over her arms to shake off some of the cold. "It's quite chilly in here."

The waitress gave her a little grin. "That's on purpose. As cold as Shiva's bosom itself. It's to encourage dancing and drinking...or closeness," she said with a wink as she wrote down their order. "So a Molten Ifrit it'll be. That'll warm you up real good. I'll be right back."

After the waitress left she felt an arm circle around her shoulders before being pulled closer to the other woman.

"You're pulling out all the stops, aren't you?" Tifa asked with raised eyebrows.

Jessie just gave her a grin. But then a look of uncertainty came over her features. "I...I'm not making you uncomfortable, am I?"

Tifa huffed out a laugh. "Relax, it's fine. I'm having fun."

"Ah, good. I'm glad to hear that." She felt Jessie relax.

After a while the waitress returned with their drinks. Jessie's drink was pale green with a cherry swimming inside it, while Tifa received a bright orange cocktail, that almost looked like it was glowing from a certain angle. She took a sip and warmth began to spread through her body when it hit her stomach.

"By the way," Jessie said after taking a sip of her own drink. "Did you close up shop early today?"

"No. I had Biggs take over for me," Tifa told her and giggled when she saw Jessie's expression.

"Are you crazy!? You're lucky if there's a bar left when we get back!" she exclaimed in mock shock.

"Oh, he'll be good. He knows what happens if he messes with my bar." They shared a short laugh.

"What's up with Biggs and you, anyway? It's clear you two are friends, but you give each other crap all the time."

"We used to date," Jessie said lightly and took another sip.

"No way!"

The other woman shot her another grin. "Yes way. We were 15 at the time. Didn't work out obviously but we remained friends since then. Giving each other shit is how we show that we care."

"Well that's one more secret revealed," Tifa said and clanked her glass against Jessie's.

After they had finished their drinks, Jessie rose from the sofa. "Can you dance?"

"What if I say no?" Tifa shot back teasingly, crossing one leg over the other. She was feeling a bit bolder after her drink. It sure packed quite a punch.

"Then I'll just have to teach you." Not waiting for a response, Jessie grabbed her hand, pulling her off the sofa. Tifa didn't really resist, and she was dragged to the dance floor. She had some dancing experience, but those were mostly dances during their annual town festival, nothing that belonged in a nightclub in the big city.

But when Jessie turned her around to press herself against her back, and started to guide her through the dance steps in a rather sensual way, Tifa found herself to be a very fast learner. And despite the heat rushing into her face, she found that she liked it.

* * *

After some more dances, and a couple of more drinks, both women left the club. They were giggling between themselves about some stupid joke that Jessie had just told. As they headed back to the train station Tifa was stopped by Jessie as they passed the fountain in the middle of the plaza.

"What is it?"

With a grin Jessie sat down on the edge of the fountain and pulled out her phone, patting the space next to her. "Let's take a picture!"

"Seriously?" Tifa asked in amusement, but decided to humor her and sat down. Jessie threw her arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. Tifa released a giggle as Jessie pressed their cheeks together while angling her phone.

With a press of her thumb she snapped a picture of them. Releasing her hold on Tifa, she took a closer to look at the screen.

"A nice memory for later," Jessie said softly, a small smile adorning her face, but it dropped almost instantly when she looked at the time. "Oh shit. We gotta hurry, the last train is leaving soon!"

They rose up and dashed towards the station as fast as they could in a pair of high heels, with Tifa being of half a mind to just throw them away if it helped them to not miss the train. In the end they managed to arrive just in time, even if they had cut it awfully close.

The train was packed because it was the weekend. Jessie and her found themselves pushed into a corner, with Tifa having the dubious honor of having her back to the wall.

"Sorry," Jessie murmured as she was being forced to stand this close to her, and Tifa had to smile at her getting embarrassed again. For someone that didn't have a problem initiating contact she could be pretty shy.

"Where's that confidence from earlier?" she asked lightly. Jessie gave her a small chuckle in response.

"Honestly, I'm only confident when I know I'm in control," Jessie admitted after a while. "I get plenty insecure about a lot of things."

That was something Tifa could relate to. She also had a lot of insecurities of her own and it was strangely comforting to have Jessie admit she had them, too. Slowly, she moved her arms around Jessie and pulled her into a light hug. "Guess we have that in common."

Jessie chuckled again. "Seems like it."

Little by little the car got emptier as they headed down to the Sector 7 slums. Yet they remained like this, seeking a little comfort in the moment and enjoying the closeness. It was only with the announcement that they would soon arrive at the last stop that they let go of each other. Without any words, they headed to the door and left as soon as the train came to a halt.

Silently they walked into Sector 7 and headed towards 7th Heaven, not a single soul on the street aside from them.

"Looks like the place is still standing," Jessie said after Tifa unlocked the doors to let them in.

"And there's even some alcohol left." Tifa turned towards Jessie and gave her a small smile, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "I...had a lot of fun tonight. Thank you."

"I'm glad," Jessie said with a smile of her own. Tifa could see the silent question in her eyes as they flickered towards her lips. She felt a little embarrassed; she never kissed on the first date. But something about this whole situation was so much different than any other date, and maybe the drinks she had earlier were also doing their part, so she stepped closer to Jessie.

"Go on, I want to try it," she said.

Gingerly Jessie placed both of her hands on her shoulders, locking eyes with her to silently ask if it was really OK. Tifa nodded and closed her eyes. There was a hint of alcohol as soft lips, so unlike a man's, brushed against hers. It was different, but not in a bad way, and Tifa found herself slowly returning the kiss.

One of Jessie's hands cupped her cheek and Tifa felt herself being pulled closer. Maybe she was starved for affection, but she didn't pull away when the other woman deepened the kiss and instead went along with it to seek more of that feeling. A small yelp escaped her as Jessie circled her other arm around her waist and lifted her onto one of the tables, her own arms hugging Jessie around the neck out of sheer reflex.

She moaned a little when Jessie gently brushed their tongues together, the taste of the alcohol that she had drank intoxicating her on a whole different level. It felt good. _Really_ good in fact, and her body wanted more.

But it didn't feel _right_.

Upon realizing that, her eyes flew open and she tore herself away from the kiss. "No!"

Jessie's eyes shot open, clouded over with lust, but it soon vanished, leaving only a panicked expression on her face. "Oh no, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get carried away I—"

"No, it's not that." And it wasn't; oh, it definitely wasn't. "I...I just—I'm sorry..."

Tifa dropped her gaze, already feeling guilty, but the hand on her cheek made her look up once more. She saw Jessie give her a small smile as she leaned forward until their foreheads were touching.

"No spark?" Jessie asked.

"No..." Tifa said in admittance. The attraction was definitely there, but it still wasn't enough, and she didn't want to subject Jessie to the same problems like she did with her last relationship. She was too important for that. "I learned about a part of myself I didn't know was there, but I still can't...I'm so sorry."

"Shh." Jessie gently silenced her. "Like you said, no promises."

Jessie let go of her cheek to run her hand through Tifa's hair. "I won't pretend that I don't feel a bit disappointed, but I knew what I was getting into tonight, and I'd be damned if I didn't at least give it a shot."

"I got to kiss you, that's more than I could've hoped for." The hand on her lower back moved up to gently stroke her back. Then Jessie, trying to lift the mood, asked: "So how did the date compare to the rest?"

"The best date I've ever had," Tifa said and hugged her closer. They remained silent for a while before she spoke up again. "I hope we can still be friends."

This caused Jessie to laugh, easing a bit of the tension between them. "Are you seriously giving me the break up routine?"

Realizing that Jessie was right, Tifa joined her in laughter, and soon all the tension was gone.

"Friends," Jessie said to confirm Tifa's question, as she placed her head on her shoulder, moving both of her arms to return the hug. "Friends sounds great."

Tifa closed her eyes and a small smile formed on her lips. She may not have found love tonight, but she figured herself out a little more, and above all else Jessie and her managed to grow closer, if only as friends.

"Tifa?"

"Hmm?"

"Can we stay like this...just a little longer?"

"Of course."

* * *

**A fun little yuri romp, wouldn't you say?  
You know, picturing Jessie as bisexual wasn't that hard at all and with her Remake version having been shown to have much more personality in the bombing mission alone it seems I wanted to do my share and add a bit more to her character, and to develop Tifa as well. See, in my mind I feel that Tifa wasn't just close with Barret and Marlene, but with all of Avalanche, but I wanted one of them to be especially close to her and in the end I picked Jessie, because I feel there should be a lot more Jessie focused stuff out there.**

**Who knows, maybe by the end of this all there will be a few more Jessie fans out there that will join the club?**

**As always, if you liked this, maybe drop a review. They are always appreciated.**

**I would also like to give a shout out to Denebola_Leo, who is my awesome beta, and an awesome author in her own right, so check out some of her stories, and maybe also leave a review. :)**


	19. Chapter 19

**And we are back to our usual midweek update. I hope you've been looking forward to it, because I certainly have.**

* * *

**Chapter 19**

Time really flew by, Tifa realized, as she watched Marlene lying in bed. Had it really been 2 years already?

It felt like yesterday when she had first met Marlene at the clinic, a short time before she joined up with her father's little ragtag group of freedom fighters. To think that she had turned 4 recently.

As gently as possible, Tifa brushed Marlene's hair aside and rested her hand on her forehead. Her fever had shot up again. In the years that she had now taken care of her, Marlene had never been this sick. Certainly a cold was normal, but not like this. Frankly, it worried her.

The worst part was that Barret was out on a critical mission. One they couldn't delay, or the window of opportunity would close for an indefinite amount of time; it had to be now or never. Leaving his sick daughter behind had pained him, and Tifa hoped it wouldn't distract and cause him to get hurt. Or worse.

"Tifa?" Marlene called out, and Tifa did her best to give the girl a bright smile.

"What is it?"

"I'm thirsty..."

"Hold on," she said and grasped the glass of water that was resting on the little bedside table, lifting the girl a little to help her drink. She was reminded of herself, so many years ago now, when the good doctor had helped her.

_I'd better call him_, Tifa thought as she laid Marlene back down and placed the glass back. After wiping some of the excess water off her cheek with a handkerchief, Tifa rose to her feet.

"Where are you going?" Marlene asked, clearly not wanting to be alone.

"Don't worry. I'll have to make a call, I'm just outside the door."

"Promise?"

"Promise." She gave Marlene another smile, then left the room. Outside, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and called Dr. Hiragi, playing with her earring as she waited for him to answer the call.

"_Hello, Tifa,"_ he greeted her once he picked up the phone. "_This is a surprise. I wasn't expecting a call so soon after our last talk."_

Tifa may have moved out, but she never stopped staying in contact with the man that had taken her in. She tried to visit him as much as possible, and if that didn't work out they spoke over phone.

"I'm afraid it's not a social call," she said and turned to Marlene's door. "It's Marlene. She's been running a fever since this morning and it's grown worse."

She had long since told him that she was taking care of the little Wallace girl when her father was out running errands. Dr. Hiragi had been surprised at first, but she quickly gave him a white lie how the man had one day come to her, seeking employment, and that she had hired him to do additional bouncing work when it was really busy. She didn't like hiding the truth from him, but it was for the best that he didn't know about Avalanche.

"I'm worried and I don't know what else to do," she told him, trying to keep herself calm despite her worry. "Could you please come over and take a look at her?"

"_Of course. I'll be on my way."_

"Just call so that I know you're there, I'll open the door for you then."

After hanging up she returned to Marlene, sitting down beside her bed and taking her hand.

"Who did you call?" Marlene asked.

"Remember the man I used to live with?"

Marlene shook her head. "No, sorry."

"That's alright. You were very little," Tifa smiled and stroked the girl's hand. "He's a doctor and he'll take a look at you to make you feel better."

"Is he nice?"

"He's the nicest man I know," Tifa assured her. "He's on his way, and shouldn't be long."

While they waited, Tifa didn't move from her side, giving her some more water and wiping the sweat off her brow. After forty minutes her phone started buzzing, telling her that the doctor had arrived.

"He's here. I'll just go and open the door for him, alright?" Tifa asked and waited until Marlene gave her a weak nod.

She headed down into the bar and unlocked the front door to reveal Dr. Hiragi standing there, holding his doctor's bag in his hand. The first thing she did upon seeing him was hug him.

"Thank you for coming by," she said after letting go.

"I can hardly refuse you with good conscience," he said, giving her a smile. "Now, where is she?"

"Upstairs, follow me." she led him up into the little living area and to Marlene's room. "She's a bit shy, though."

"I'll take shy over crying," he said good naturedly.

"Marlene," Tifa called out as she opened the door. "The doctor is here."

"...Ok," came Marlene's mumbled response, and on any normal day she would have found it adorable how she was hiding her face behind her blanket.

They both entered and Tifa sat down on the chair beside the bed once again, while Dr. Hiragi sat on the edge of the bed.

"Won't you say hello?" she asked Marlene.

The girl removed part of the blanket so that one of her eyes was exposed enough to look at the man sitting close by.

"...'lo," she mumbled, and despite herself Tifa had to grin at the sight.

"Marlene, he can't help you get better if you hide yourself," Tifa gently scolded her, making Marlene slowly drop the blanket as she shyly looked at the doctor.

"My, you have grown!" the doctor exclaimed. "You probably won't remember, but the last time I saw you, you were so small!"

"Really?"

"Really." The doctor nodded. "Now, Tifa told me you aren't feeling good."

"Mhm." Marlene nodded.

"Does it hurt somewhere?" he asked, and Marlene pointed at her chest, causing Tifa's brow to crease with worry as she was reminded of Otis.

"I see." He placed his hand on her forehead to check her temperature, then took his bag and placed it on the bed to get his stethoscope. "I will have to put this on your back. Tifa, could you help her move?"

"Of course," Tifa replied before gently moving Marlene so she was lying on her side, while Dr. Hiragi walked to the other side of the bed. Carefully the doctor lifted the girl's pajama top at the back and placed the stethoscope there.

"Cold!" Marlene whined and backed away.

"I'm sorry," the doctor said and rubbed the diaphragm on his shirt to warm it up a little. "There, should be all better now."

This time Marlene didn't flinch away, and breathed deeply like the doctor told her to. Upon the third deep breath she started to cough loudly, which didn't do anything to lessen Tifa's worry. After Marlene calmed down, Dr. Hiragi removed the stethoscope and put her pajamas back in place.

She was afraid of the answer, but she had to ask. "...Is it like with Otis?"

Dr. Hiragi looked at her for a moment, before giving her his calming smile. "Don't worry, it's nothing that serious. Marlene, I'm afraid you've come down with the flu."

"...Oh," was all the girl said, looking at her hands like she had done something wrong. A wave of relief washed over Tifa. The flu.

"I was kind of suspecting it. I have some medicine in my car," he said as he packed up his things. "Now, Marlene, be a good girl, stay in bed and take your medicine and you'll be better in no time."

"Ok." Marlene nodded obediently.

"Again, thank you for coming by," Tifa said after they had left the room.

"It's fine, really. Just doing my job, quite literally." They walked down the stairs and left the bar, heading to his car. He opened the passenger door and pulled the seat up to reveal a small chest hidden there. He opened it and Tifa noticed a variety of medicine bottles and pills inside.

"Can't exactly have that lying around on the seat now, can I?" he asked lightly when he noticed her look, then took out a small vial of medicine and handed it to her. "Here. It'll lower her fever and help her sleep. A spoonful in the morning and evening for a week. She should be better in a few days with plenty of bed rest, but I'd still advise she take it easy even with the fever gone."

Tifa looked at the bottle of medicine, before turning her gaze back to the older man. "How much do I owe you?"

"You? Isn't Marlene Mr. Wallace's child?" he asked her, amusement evident in his voice.

"I, uh, she practically lives with me," she stammered out, feeling the heat rush to her face.

"I kinda noticed, with the room and all," he said, causing her blush to grow further.

"Anyway, how much?" Tifa asked again to get the topic back on track. She really didn't want to discuss her personal relationship to Marlene right now. The doctor on his end had a good chuckle at her expense.

"Fine. 30 Gil, it's nothing fancy, after all."

"Alright, wait a sec." Tifa jogged back inside and went to the register behind the bar. After taking the money, she returned outside where Dr. Hiragi was leaning against the car, waiting patiently.

"Thank you," Dr. Hiragi said to her after he received his payment. "Say, your birthday isn't too far away. Do you have any plans for it?"

Honestly, she wasn't sure. Birthdays had lost their meaning a long time ago for her, but after her initial arrival the good doctor had taken it upon himself to at least remind her of the date and do something special with just the two of them, even if it was just a nice dinner. Ever since she had taken over 7th Heaven, on top of joining Avalanche and taking care of Marlene, she had been so busy that she would have forgotten her birthday last year if not for Dr. Hiragi calling her to say Happy Birthday.

"I don't know..." she admitted.

"I think you should celebrate," he said and place a hand on her shoulder. "You'll be 20 soon, and you own a successful bar. If anyone deserves to celebrate, it's you."

Did she really? It didn't feel that way.

"Just...give it some thought, alright?"

"Yeah." Tifa nodded and locked eyes with him. "I will."

She waved him goodbye as he got into his car and drove off. Once she saw him pass the gate she headed back inside, locking the door behind her. She grabbed a spoon from the kitchen and went back upstairs to Marlene.

"I've got the medicine. The doctor said if you take some right now, it will help you sleep," Tifa explained to the girl while she unscrewed the bottle. Slowly she dropped the medicine into the spoon, then held it out towards Marlene's mouth. "Say 'aaaah'."

"Aaaah." Marlene did as told and Tifa gently put the spoon into her mouth. The girl's face scrunched up as she swallowed and she stuck out her tongue in disgust. "Bitter!"

"That means it's good for you," Tifa said and ruffled Marlene's hair a little.

"Tifa?"

"Hm?"

"Can you tell me a story?"

Tifa was a bit taken aback at the request. Marlene had never asked her that before. She was usually one that could fall asleep on her own, but a look into her eyes told Tifa that she was missing her father. So how could she refuse?

"Once upon a time...there was a princess that lived in a mountain kingdom far away from here," Tifa began.

"Was she pretty?"

Tifa chuckled. "Some would say she was, and many people loved her. But the princess didn't really pay attention to any of them, because she was a little bit selfish. There was a boy that interested her though, one that a lot of people in the kingdom didn't like."

"Why? Was he evil?"

"No," Tifa said, shaking her head. "He was blamed for something he didn't do, and because of that he was lonely and that made him get into fights. But one day, on the princess' birthday, she felt a little lonely and happened to see the boy from afar, and it made her realize that he must always feel like that. So she decided to do something for him."

"What?"

"She baked him a cupcake!"

"Really?" Marlene giggled.

"Yes!" Tifa smiled. "And on the day of his birthday she snuck out of the castle and into the nearby wood where the boy would often go to play. But when she arrived a monster attacked!"

Marlene gasped and buried herself a little into her blanket.

"But she was rescued by the boy that nobody liked and realized that, despite what everyone said, he was actually really nice. After they returned, she gave him his present. She had never seen him more happy than on that day. The princess didn't realize it then, but she was slowly falling in love."

"Did they marry?" Marlene asked.

"No," Tifa said and her eyes took on a faraway look as her mind returned to that cold December night almost 7 years ago. "One night the boy asked the princess out, and made her a promise that he would become a great and famous knight that would come and rescue her whenever she was in trouble."

"And did he?" Marlene asked, followed by a huge yawn.

_He never did_, Tifa thought sadly, but forced herself to be cheerful for Marlene's sake. "The princess is still waiting."

"Aww..."

"But that's because their story isn't over yet..." Tifa smiled and started to tuck her in. "One day he'll return and keep his promise. And when he does, she will give him a big scolding for making her wait so long and never let him go, ever again."

Tifa watched as Marlene yawned again, struggling to keep her eyes open as the medicine started to take effect, and she leaned forward to plant a kiss on the girl's forehead. "Good night."

"G'night..." Marlene mumbled as her eyes closed. Tifa waited until she was truly asleep before she switched the light off and left the room. Outside, she leaned against Marlene's door and closed her eyes.

The boy that wanted to become a knight never returned, and the princess had lost her kingdom. She had been left to fend for herself, but she also learned how to fight and had gotten strong on her own. Yet despite that, part of her still longed for him to come back and keep his promise.

* * *

**Mama Tifa is best Tifa. Also the Doc is back!  
You didn't think I'd just drop him now, did ya? Come on, they still live in the same city ;)**

**Also figured after the little Jessie/Tifa adventure last time it would be appropiate to have some Cloti angst again!**

**See ya on friday!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

After Marlene had fallen asleep, Tifa returned to the bar, deciding to do some finances while she waited for the others to return. It was getting awfully late. Of course, from the few sabotage missions that she had been on, she knew that things didn't always go as planned.

Still, she was worried.

She was just finishing this month's earnings when the door opened and Barret and Biggs stepped inside. Tifa rose from the bar stool and walked towards them.

"You're back!" she exclaimed and looked them over. They looked exhausted. But, why was it only the two of them? "Everything alright? Where's Jessie and Wedge?"

"We had to split up after we got the data. Biggs and I just met back up again ourselves," Barret explained. "Don't worry, the others are on their way, too."

"Ok," Tifa replied, not really feeling reassured, but there wasn't anything she could do but wait, was there? "You guys want a drink?"

"Now we're talkin'," Biggs said and Barret grunted in agreement as they both headed to the bar.

"What'll it be?" she asked as she stepped behind the bar, grabbing her finance book on the way.

"Just gimme something that'll make me relax enough to go to sleep," Biggs said.

"The usual," Barret said, playing with the metal edge of his gun arm and looking lost in thought.

"Alright," Tifa said and went to work. For Biggs she mixed a special cocktail that she had created, called Siren's Song. A name it had earned because it could knock you on your ass real fast. For Barret she poured a simple glass of whiskey, since the man wasn't a big fan of cocktails.

"Oof, that's some strong stuff," Biggs said after his first sip. "Been holdin' out on me?"

"Something like that. There's a reason I didn't have you taste test this one." She grinned and crossed her arms, leaning against the wall with her back. Her expression then grew serious. "So you guys think this data is gonna be it?"

"Positive," Barret said, nursing his glass. "It's from the old Avalanche, and there's a reason Shinra wanted to keep it instead of just destroying it."

_The old Avalanche._ Shortly after she had joined up, Barret had told her that they weren't the first to use the name, but the old group had been wiped out long ago and Barret found it appropriate to keep the spirit alive.

"Still gonna be a lot of work to go through all that stuff, but that's Jessie's specialty," Biggs said and finished the rest of his drink in one gulp, making Tifa question his common sense just a little bit. "Well, I'm gonna hit the sack. Thanks for the drink."

As Biggs rose to his feet he started to wobble a bit and grabbed onto the counter, his left hand going to his head. "Wow. Strong stuff."

"That's what happens if you drink it all down in one go." She huffed and shook her head.

"Yeah, well, lesson learned, I guess. Night, Tifa, Boss," he said to each of them as he headed into the back. After he had left, Tifa walked over to Barret, who stared deep into his glass.

"I called the doctor earlier to take a look at Marlene," she told him, knowing what thoughts occupied the man right now. "Don't worry, she'll be fine. She just came down with the flu."

He didn't move, but she could see him relax just a little bit as he exhaled from his nose. "That's good."

"He left some medicine for her to take. I took the liberty to take care of the bill."

"What do I owe ya?"

"Nothing. It's on the house." Tifa smiled when she saw the older man's look. "It's not some miracle cure or something. I won't be running bankrupt from it. You know I care about Marlene too, so just let me do these kinds of things for her once in a while."

Barret scoffed, but then a grin split his face. "Stubborn girl."

Tifa shrugged, mirroring his expression. "I've been called worse."

They shared a short laugh before Barret asked: "is she sleepin'?"

"Safe and sound. Even asked me to tell her a bedtime story."

"Tryin' to put me out of job?" Barret ribbed with a quirk of his eyebrow.

"I think Marlene just made do with me and would've loved a story from you."

"Hm," he grumbled and went back to looking into his glass.

"I'm not trying to make you feel guilty," Tifa said when she noticed him tense up again.

"No, I can do that plenty on my own."

"I'm sure she'll understand once she's older. You're fighting so that she has a future," Tifa reassured him.

"I know," he said and finally took a sip of his drink. "What we're doin' is important, but I also want to be with Marlene, and sometimes I just feel like I'm goin' in fuckin' circles here."

"I think we all feel like that sometimes." Barret just grunted in response, so she placed a hand on top of his and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Why don't you go and get some sleep? I'm sure Marlene will be happy to see you once she's awake. I'll stay here and wait until the others are back."

"Yeah. I think I'll do that," he said and finished his whiskey before rising to his feet. "Thanks, Tifa."

"Just doing my job," she said with a teasing tone in her voice and waved him off. Once he was out of eyesight she started cleaning up the glasses, then went back to what she was doing before the two had arrived. After a while she couldn't concentrate on the finances anymore, and she felt her hand go to the phone inside her pocket in a desire to check in with Jessie. It was in that moment, that Wedge burst into the bar.

Just like Biggs and Barret, he looked exhausted, and Tifa offered to make him a quick meal, but the worry over Jessie remained in the back of her mind even while cooking.

"Have you seen Jessie on your way here?" she asked him as she placed the spicy omelet on the table in front of him.

"No, hasn't she returned yet?" he asked, giving her a puzzled look,

"No, and I'm worried," she said and folded her hands on her lap.

"I'm sure she's alright. She called in like the rest of us when we were in the clear," Wedge offered her with a small smile that Tifa returned.

"You're right." Still, something felt wrong.

"You've become pretty good friends," he noted.

_If only you knew, _Tifa thought to herself. Jessie and her had kept their little secret to the end, just to not cause any awkwardness in the team. But Wedge was right, they had become very close friends since then and when there wasn't anything urgent to be done they spent a lot of their free time hanging out and talking.

"That's good," Wedge continued on as he ate at a relaxed pace. "I like that even though we've come together to fight Shinra, we're also friends. Makes me feel like I belong."

Wedge, she had learned, was the kind of guy that never had a lot of friends, so him being part of something like Avalanche meant a lot to him, even if Tifa still felt that he was too nice of a guy for this kind of thing.

"I feel the same."

After Wedge had finished his meal he also wished her good night. As she sat there alone, her thoughts wandered back to her still missing friend. Taking out her phone she activated the display and opened up her contacts, scrolling down until she arrived at Jessie's number. Should she call her? Maybe she needed help? But what if she was currently hiding from someone? Calling her could expose her.

Her finger was hovering over the call button when, to her relief, the door finally opened and Jessie stepped inside—

"There you are. You had me—Jessie!"

—Covered in blood.

Tifa dropped her phone as she shot up from her seat and quickly headed over to Jessie, who had just locked the door and leaned her back against it, looking straight ahead. She held her pistol in her shaking hand, and Tifa was relieved to note that her finger was far away from the trigger as she approached her to check her for any injuries. Thankfully there seemed to be none, and she rested her hand on the other woman's shoulder.

"What happened?" she asked worryingly, but only got a mumbled response. It took a few more times of her gentle prodding to get Jessie to raise her voice.

"I didn't wanna do it!" Jessie exclaimed. "Someone was pursuing me!"

Her eyes grew wide and she started trembling all over, gripping the gun in her hand tightly. "Didn't wanna do it! Didn't wanna do it! Didn't wanna do it!"

"Shhh, it's OK." Tifa tired to calm her down, moving her hands down to place them on the trembling gun in Jessie's hand. "You're safe now."

"Yeah...yeah." Jessie nodded and Tifa managed to remove the gun from her hand, flipping the safety on. She headed over to the bar counter and hid the gun behind it, then turned to Jessie, who looked around like a frightened animal.

"How...did I get here?" she asked out loud, then took a look at her armor and hands, all covered in blood. "Am I bleeding!?"

Jessie started to hyperventilate and gripped her head. In an instant Tifa was at her side again.

"Hey, hey," she said in a whispering voice as to not scare the other woman any further and gently placed a hand on her cheek, not caring about the dried blood staining her own fingers. Tifa guided her face so that she was looking directly at her. "It's me, Tifa."

"Tifa..." Jessie looked at her as if she only just realized she was there. Almost instantly she gripped her tightly. "Tifa! Are the others alright!? Were they followed too!?"

"Don't worry. Everyone's safe. Come on, let's get you cleaned up," Tifa said and guided her upstairs to the bathroom. Inside she sat Jessie down on the toilet lid. "I'll be right back."

Hurriedly she headed into her room and opened her closet, pulling out a fresh T-shirt, a pair of shorts and a towel, before running back to Jessie, who hadn't moved an inch and was staring blankly at the tiles on the wall. She didn't resist when Tifa started to remove the stained body armor and placed it on the floor. After that she removed her boots, then gently made her stand up to remove her pants. She put them near the armor; she would wash them later.

Next came the blue body suit that Jessie always wore underneath. She removed every piece of clothing until Jessie was completely bare. The other woman looked at her, her brown hair hanging loosely down her back and the side of her face. If not for the blood on her face and hair, as well as the obvious shell shock, Jessie would be a beautiful sight.

Tifa helped Jessie into the shower and turned on the water. It took a few seconds but the water seemed to do the trick of snapping her out of her stupor, and she started to slowly wash herself.

"Thanks," Jessie mumbled when Tifa handed her a bottle of shampoo. She closed the curtain to give the other woman some privacy now that she was back to her senses.

"...Do you want to talk about it?" Tifa asked carefully, as not to cause her to drift off again.

"No!" Jessie exclaimed but quickly added. "...N-not yet, just...give me a moment to gather myself."

"Take as long as you need. I'm here." Tifa looked at herself in the mirror, noticing that her top was now covered in bloodstains as well. With a sigh she took it off, leaving her in her bra, and threw it together with Jessie's clothes into the laundry basket. After that she took the armor and started to wash the blood off it in the sink, using some of the soap. Once it was clean she placed it back on the floor and washhed her own hands, when the shower stopped running.

"Tifa?"

"Yes?" Tifa responded, drying her hands with the hand towel at the sink.

"Can you hand me a towel?" Jessie asked in a small voice and held out her hand from behind the curtain.

"Of course." Tifa grasped the clean towel that she had brought with her and handed it to her. While Jessie was drying herself she gathered the clean set of clothes and placed them on the toilet lid. "I left you some clothes. I'm going out to change, alright?"

"...Yeah."

Leaving the bathroom, Tifa went back into her room to change into something more appropriate. After stepping back out she saw Jessie emerging from the bathroom, her long brown hair still damp from the shower, looking unsure as she walked towards her. The barmaid ushered her inside the room and they both sat down on the bed.

Jessie stared at the floor for the longest time before speaking.

"I killed someone. After—"She licked her dry lips and rocked her left leg up and down. "After I called in that I was in the clear, I noticed that someone was pursuing me. I tried to shake him, but he was damn persistent and knew the streets better than me."

She paused, taking some deep breaths before continuing.

"So I did the only thing I could. I hid around a corner and jumped him. I was trying to knock him out, but he fought back and the next thing I know..." She lifted her right hand, forming a gun with it. "I shot him three times. He was dead before he even hit the ground."

Tifa put her arm around Jessie's shoulders, making her flinch a little, but Jessie soon leaned into her.

"I knew that eventually it would come to this and I thought I was prepared, but actually pulling the trigger..." She released a shuddering breath. Tifa could do nothing but listen. She herself had never killed another person, only monsters, but back in Nibelheim she had been prepared to murder Sephiroth in cold blood for what he had done. She had lost that innocence back then, surrounded by the corpses of the people she cherished.

"I panicked then. Took the body and carried it to the closest manhole to drop it into the sewers. After that I must have gone on full autopilot as the next thing I remember I was back here," she said and closed her eyes. "You know...Mako isn't the only thing this entire city sucks up."

"What do you mean?" Tifa asked her, and Jessie released a bitter laugh.

"Happiness, kindness. It all gradually gets sucked out of the people living here. The people above the plate think they're better than others, while those in the slums lose all hope until they've given up entirely. I joined Avalanche to put a stop to that...but, now I find myself becoming what I wanted to fight." Jessie opened her eyes and turned her head to look directly into hers. "Tifa, am I a bad person?"

It was such a loaded question, and Tifa struggled to find an answer if any of them were truly good. They all joined Avalanche to fight against Shinra, a corporation that built their foundation of power on the corpses of other people, and they knew it wouldn't be a battle without loss. But as she looked at her friend, all broken up over a life she hadn't even planned to take, she knew what to say. "You're still a good person."

"How can you say that!?"

"Because when I look at you I don't see an unscrupulous killer; I see you, Jessie." She shot back and Jessie started shaking, tears spilling from her eyes. With a strangled sound the woman buried her face into the crook of Tifa's neck. Tifa simply held her close as she cried, giving her comfort in a way that words couldn't.

She didn't know how long they remained like this, but eventually Jessie let go of her, looking away in embarrassment.

"Sorry," she whispered and wiped away the last of her tears. "And, thanks. For being there for me."

"No thanks needed." Tifa gave her a small smile. "We're friends, remember?"

"Yeah, you're right..." She fell silent for a moment, then looked at her bashfully. "Could…Could I stay here tonight? I don't want to be alone right now."

"Of course you can."

As they laid down it was a little awkward at first. Tifa had never shared a bed with anyone before, but it wasn't long until she found herself relaxed enough to pull the other woman closer, and they both fell asleep.

* * *

Outside the room, Barret was leaning against the wall, his large arms crossed in front of his chest. The commotion hadn't escaped his notice, and he had wanted to ask what the hell was going on when he heard their conversation.

A frown formed on his face and he felt guilt wash over him. He should have taken Jessie aside a long time ago. Talked with her about what it meant to be killing, and prepare her better for that feeling of guilt that even the rage inside his heart didn't manage to drown when he had taken his first life.

But he didn't, and that proved to be a mistake.

He sighed through his nose and uncrossed his arms. He would talk with her; Wedge too. And then he would apologize to them for not having been the leader they needed.

He gave Tifa's door one final look, and the corners of his lips moved up into a smile, as he turned around to re-enter Marlene's room.

For now, Jessie was in good hands.

* * *

**Oof, heavy topic in this one, huh?  
Real talk, I wanted a scene where Tifa could be the emotional support that we all know and love, and I figured someone like Jessie might have had a problem with shooting someone for the first time. I hope I managed to bring that across.**

**You didn't think the Jessie and Tifa interactions would stop after that date, did ya?  
**

**As always, if you liked it maybe consider leaving a review. :)  
**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

_Hmm, that's not good. Need to order some more,_ Tifa thought to herself as she jotted a number down on her little notepad. It was the end of April, and like almost every week Tifa was checking their supplies. Running a bar was already hard work, but running a bar that also served food had her double and triple check if everything was well stocked.

All under the watchful eyes of Marlene, of course.

"Alright, so how many do we have of these?" she asked and showed the girl an empty can of tomato paste, making sure she could see the label on it.

Whenever she had Marlene help her with something, she tried to make a little educational game out of it in the same way her mother had done with her. It would still be 2 years until she would get proper schooling, but it never hurt to start a little earlier as long as she was having fun at the same time. Besides, she only let her count things she knew they were very short on.

"Uhm." Marlene looked around until she spotted the can on one of the shelves. Tifa watched her count slowly until she presented her with six little fingers that she held up. The barmaid checked if she had counted correctly, then knelt down in front of Marlene and pushed one of her fingers down slowly.

"Almost," Tifa said with a grin and ruffled her hair a little, making the girl giggle. She rose back up and started to count the crates of alcohol.

"Tifa?"

"Hm?" Tifa looked over her shoulder towards the little girl.

"Will we have a party?" Marlene asked, gripping the hem of her pink dress bashfully.

"Didn't you just have one?" Tifa asked with an amused smile, putting a hand on the back of her hip as she turned around. They had held a birthday party for Marlene when she turned 4 years old, which was 6 weeks ago.

"No." Marlene shook her head. "For you."

Her smiled dropped at Marlene's words. She had almost forgotten again, or maybe she had wanted to forget? With a sigh, she walked back over to the girl, to kneel in front of her and look her in the eye.

"I don't know. I'm always so busy," she said to the girl.

"But it's your birthday!" Marlene exclaimed, and Tifa chuckled a little at her eagerness. Still…

She was about to voice her protest when the sound of someone clearing their throat stopped her. Turning her head, she saw that was Jessie standing in the doorway.

The other woman was back to normal after that night a month ago, though it had taken a few days and a talk with Barret until she had been ready enough to sleep in her own quarters again. As she looked the other woman in the eyes she could see that the event had changed her, but she also saw that the old Jessie was still very much there. Maybe she was even a little stronger than before.

Another, much smaller change, that seemed to become a permanent one, was that the two women would get together in the evening and talk well into the night about this and that. Sometimes she offered Jessie to stay the night, an offer the other woman had yet to refuse. It felt a little like a girly sleepover; something she never got to experience as a child.

"Sorry," Jessie apologized for the intrusion. "You left your phone in the bar. A Dr. Hiragi just called?"

"Did he say what he wanted?"

"Just that he wants to talk with you. Told him you'd be right there," Jessie said and leaned against the door frame, giving Marlene a little wave as she did so.

"We'll talk later, OK?" She gave the little girl a pat on the head when she nodded, then walked towards the door. "Can you take care of her for a moment?"

"Sure." Jessie smiled and walked towards Marlene, asking her: "Now, what have you been doing?"

Tifa walked back into the bar and picked up her phone from the counter.

"Hi!" she greeted as soon as she put it against her ear. "Everything alright?"

"_Hello, I had a little favor to ask of you,"_ he said.

"Sure, what can I do for ya?"

"_I need someone to pick up my medical supplies today, something else came up that I need to attend to."_

"Is it about...you know?" Over the years the good doctor would still go out of his way to help people escape from Shinra, and she wagered that would never change.

Picking up on her tone, he was quick to reassure her. "_Oh no, nothing that serious. Just some of my elderly patients asking me to come by. So it would really help if you could pick up the supplies in my stead."_

"Of course. It's absolutely no problem, I can come by right now," she said and looked over the empty bar. Business wouldn't pick up until a few hours later.

"_Thanks, Tifa."_

"No thanks needed." It was honestly the least she could do in return for all he did. After hanging up, she saw Jessie and Marlene come out of the back.

"Urgent business?" Jessie asked.

"Kinda. He asked me to run an errand for him," Tifa told her and pocketed her phone.

"Oh! Can I come with you?"

Tifa gave the other woman a quizzical look, but Jessie just grinned in that way that told her she was mostly asking out of politeness and would come anyway.

"Fine. Marlene, can you watch the place?" Tifa asked. For most people it would be strange, leaving a 4 year old alone in a bar, but Marlene was very mature for her age and Tifa could trust that she would be a good girl.

"I will let no one in!" Marlene said with a grin, repeating what Tifa had taught her to do whenever she was alone at home.

"That's my girl!"

The two women left, and they saw a familiar pickup drive up to 7th Heaven as Tifa was locking the door.

"S'up girls?" Biggs asked as he got out of the car. "Going somewhere?"

Jessie shot her a look and her lips curled into a smirk. "Perfect timing, Biggs. Yes WE are, in fact, going somewhere."

"Was that just a capital 'we'?" Biggs asked, a frown forming on his face, but Jessie more or less ignored his question.

"And you are going to drive us to where we need to go."

"I'm doing what now?"

Tifa did her best to hide her grin behind her hand.

"You heard me!"

"I just came back!" Biggs crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Well, then hand over the keys," Jessie said and held out her hand expectantly. "You wouldn't want us lovely ladies to have to walk all the way to—"

"Sector 3," Tifa threw in helpfully, no longer able to hide her own amusement.

"—Sector 3, yeah!"

"First of all: I only see one lady." He pointed at Tifa, then at Jessie. "And a leech. Secondly: only I get to drive Lucille and no one else."

"You gave this hunk of junk a NAME!?" Jessie shot him an incredulous look while Tifa couldn't stop herself anymore and broke out into laughter.

"Shut up, you!" Biggs pointed at Jessie again, then place his hand on top of the pickup's hood, stroking it gently like he would a beloved pet. "Don't listen to her, she's stupid and has no idea."

"And now he talks to it!"

Tifa all the while had to use one of the handrails on the steps to keep herself from falling on her ass in laughter.

"Lucille and I have a connection. The old girl here has been more faithful to me than a lot of women in my life," he said proudly.

"TOO MUCH INFORMATION!" Jessie threw her hands into the air. "Will you drive us or not?"

"Fine. If it'll shut you up!" Biggs grumbled and got back into the car.

"Oh thank you, Biggs!" Jessie said, doing a 180 and sounding all sweet all of a sudden. She took Tifa by her hand, guiding the still laughing barmaid into the car. It had only two seats so both women had to squeeze in a little, with Tifa sitting by the window and Jessie in between Biggs and her, a fact the woman used to accentuate her next words with the sweetest smile and batting of eyelashes. "You're a real lifesaver."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Biggs started the motor back up. "The nerve of her. Insulting my car and then asking me for a ride."

After they drove off, Tifa managed to finally calm down enough to say something as well.

"Honestly, thank you," she said to Biggs and gave him an earnest smile.

"It's fine, really." He shot Jessie a look. "Even if a _certain someone_ could have asked more nicely."

"You know I love you," Jessie said with a grin, and bumped her shoulder against his.

"What I know is that talking to you sucks the life out of me sometimes." He shook his head and looked at Tifa. "So Sector 3, was it?"

"Yes, I'll show you the way."

With Tifa's directions they made good time and arrived at the clinic in under 30 minutes. After all these years the place still looked the same, maybe the odd graffiti here and there, but nothing to change it drastically.

"So this is the place you used to live at?" Jessie asked as they got out of the car.

"Yup."

"So does this doctor guy know about…?" Biggs asked Tifa.

"No. And I'd like it to stay that way." Maybe it was selfish of her, but the doctor already had enough on his platter as it is; she didn't need to burden him with the knowledge that she was part of a group that decided to actively fight against Shinra.

"Gotcha," he said and Jessie nodded in agreement.

"Thanks," Tifa said gratefully and opened the door. The familiar bell on top of the door rang, the sound echoing deep into the clinic. "Hello? It's me!"

"Well that certainly was fast," she heard the doctor call from further in, and as he rounded the corner a look of surprise came over his features. "Oh, you brought company?"

"Yes, these are friends of mine. This is Biggs—"

"Yo!" Biggs greeted with a friendly grin.

"—and this is Jessie—"

"It's nice to meet you," Jessie said to him.

"The pleasure is all mine," Dr. Hiragi said and bowed in customary Wutaian manner. "I'm Eisuke Hiragi, and welcome to my clinic."

"Biggs was so nice to offer a ride," Tifa said with a friendly smile in the young man's direction, who rolled his eyes a little before giving her a thumbs up. She then looked at Jessie. "Well, and she wanted to see where I used to live."

"Oh? I hope it lives up to the expectations," Dr. Hiragi said to Jessie with an amused look.

"Definitely! Looks pretty sophisticated for a street clinic in the slums." She closed her eyes to listen for a moment. "You even got a venting system!?"

"Indeed I do. Invested quite a sum of Gil into it."

"This is awesome!" Jessie grinned from ear to ear as she looked around.

Biggs sighed. "So, Tifa said you needed some stuff picked up?"

"Yes, wait a moment." The doctor headed into the back and returned with a bag and a note that he handed to Tifa. She looked into the bag to see a large amount of Gil inside it.

"This is the address where I pick up my supplies and directions on how to get there," he said and pointed at the note. Tifa took a look at it, while Biggs stepped closer to peek over her shoulder.

"Wall Market?" he asked, eyebrows shooting up.

"Yes." Dr. Hiragi nodded. "Not the friendliest of places, I know..."

Tifa had never been at the Wall Market, despite its close proximity to Sector 7. It wasn't exactly known as a safe place even by slums standards, and Tifa still remembered the stories of some girls being forced into the sex trade there, because their parents couldn't pay back a loan. But she knew how to take care of herself, and so did the doctor, or he wouldn't have asked this of her.

"We'll take care of it," Tifa said confidently, a small grin playing on her lips. "Wouldn't want your patients to go without medicine after all."

"Thank you, I knew I could count on you."

"Speaking of patients," Jessie said and walked up to the doctor. "Could I...maybe have a word with you?"

Tifa and Biggs gave her a quizzical look, while the doctor rubbed the side of his mustache with his thumb.

"Certainly. It would have to be quick, I have some patients that are waiting for me," he said to her.

"Skipping out on work, eh?" Biggs asked with a grin, but Jessie just glared at him.

"Are you alright?" Tifa asked her, concern clear in her voice, and she stepped up to her friend. But Jessie simply put a hand on her arm.

"Don't worry. It's just some—" she shot Biggs another look. "women troubles."

Biggs' eyes widened at the mention of 'women troubles' and he hightailed it out of the clinic. "SEE YOU LATER, WAS NICE MEETING YOU, DOC!"

Both women shared a short laugh.

"You sure you're alright?" Tifa asked again, earning herself a playful punch to the shoulder by her friend.

"One hundred percent." Jessie grinned at her, then shooed her away. "Now go, before Biggs drives off crying."

"Alright." Tifa huffed out another laugh. After discussing with Dr. Hiragi where they should put the supplies, in case he wasn't back when they returned, Tifa left the clinic.

Outside, Biggs was already back behind the wheel, waiting for Tifa to get in.

"You ready?" he asked and she gave him a nod, before he started the engine and they drove off. The ride passed in relative silence until they closed in on the infamous Wall Market.

"So what do you know of the place?" Biggs asked casually, eyes on the road.

"Not a lot. Only stories," Tifa admitted.

"Probably no good ones, and they aren't wrong."

"You've been there before?"

"Yeah," he replied as they entered the Wall Market. "Don Corneo and his goons run the show here."

"Does that mean we're going to get the supplies from him?" she wondered out loud, and Biggs just chuckled.

"Definitely not. The Don doesn't do small time stuff like this. It's probably gonna be a supplier operating under his nose."

"That sounds risky."

"Oh, it is!" Biggs rubbed the scruff on his chin. "But the Don isn't all seeing, especially not when the horny bastard is too busy looking at a nice ass or a pair of tits."

Tifa snorted at the description of the man and turned to look out of the window.

Tifa had to admit it was a colorful place, with just as many colorful people wandering the streets. It looked like they were having a good time. But Tifa could feel that it was all just a facade, that underneath it all lay a rotten core.

She spied a huge sign in the distance featuring a very alluring young woman, wearing nothing but a gaudy looking bee costume, and Tifa could already tell just what kind of place it was when she read the name _Honeybee Inn_. Averting her eyes, she instead looked at the note and told Biggs the directions until they arrived at what looked like an old warehouse.

"This seems to be the place," Tifa announced as they got out of the car.

"Oh, it definitely is." He looked around a little. "Tucked away from prying eyes and all."

They walked over to the door and gave each other a look, followed by a shrug from Biggs, before knocking on the door. A slit inside the door opened a few seconds later and a pair of glaring eyes focused on Tifa.

"You the one sent by the doc?" a slightly raspy male voice asked.

"Yes. We're here to get his supplies," she replied.

"And who the fuck is he!?"

"Relax, man," Biggs tried to placate him, lifting his hands in a peaceful gesture. "You think the doc is the kinda guy that would send a girl like her without protection?"

Tifa eyed him sideways and he just shrugged once more.

"Bah! I suppose not," the man on the other side of the door conceded. He shut the slot and they could hear multiple locks being unlocked before the door opened, revealing a sour looking guy as he stepped into view. All gray hair and beard, he was wearing what looked like an old army jacket. He looked around for a second, making sure that no one was watching, before ushering them in. "Don't just fucking stand there!"

They entered the tiny warehouse and the man closed the door behind them. He then turned towards them and held his hand out. "Cash!" he demanded.

Tifa didn't argue and just handed him the money, having to force herself not to grimace at the smell of stale air in here. He looked into the bag before grunting, apparently satisfied, then walked into the back. Not knowing what else to do Tifa and Biggs followed.

The man sat down at a table and started counting his money. His eyes flickered over to them and he pointed to two boxes standing on the ground near them. "That's the stuff."

Tifa went to one and opened it. Inside were various bottles and packages of medicine, as well as medical alcohol, gauze and surgery gloves all packaged in a sterile manner. Biggs looked into the other box and gave them a thumbs up.

"Thanks," Tifa said and picked up the box, only receiving a grumbled response. Biggs took the other one and they carried them to the exit. The man was at least nice enough to hold open the door. As soon as they exited the building he slammed it shut and the sound of the locks being put back in place followed.

"Friendly guy," Biggs joked as they put the boxes in the back. They got back into the car and drove off.

"You know," he said after a while. "Your friend probably got majorly ripped off."

"You think so?" Tifa asked. It _was_ an awful lot of Gil for what they had bought.

"Yeah." He nodded. "But that's how it goes. That guy got ripped off by the people smuggling that stuff down here too. Everyone wants to get their share of the money."

"Sounds like you're talking from experience," Tifa said, looking at him with a quirked brow. He smirked a little, placing his elbow on the window sill and propping his face up with his hand.

"I do. Did some smuggling in the past myself. That's where I know my _bad friends_ from," he told her. "You do what you have to do to get by in the slums. Sometimes it helps people, sometimes it hurts them, and sometimes you just don't care and just want a full belly for a month."

Seeing the faraway look in his eyes, Tifa realized that there was much more to Biggs than she had first thought. Sure, she knew that he had shady connections, where else would Avalanche get their guns from?

But it seemed that Biggs, too, had some ghosts that haunted him.

"So, was this when you and Lucille met," she asked in a teasing tone, partly to break the tension and partly because she was truly curious, running a hand over the car's dashboard.

He chuckled. "Yeah. Me and the old girl have seen some fun times. Like, there was this one time I was up on the plate with a pal of mine, smuggling some radios when we got into a traffic check..."

Tifa listened as Biggs recounted story after story while they made their way back to Sector 3, a grin plastered on her face, and she felt that she finally understood him a little better after today.

* * *

**Sorry, I lied to to you all. Biggs/Lucille is the true OTP of this story.**

**I hope ya'll enjoyed this little venture into Biggs' character in this one. I've always pictured him as the one that might get his hands dirty the most. At the same time, I wanted to explore just where the good doctor did get his supplies. Gotta have to find other ways to get stuff you need than the official ones in the slums.**

**Well, read and review as they say!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Alright, here's one on the more lighthearted side.**

* * *

**Chapter 22**

Fingers drummed on the bar counter as Tifa read the latest news. Apparently, some famous actress she never heard of had been caught cheating on her husband and it was all the city was talking about, it seemed.

It was always the same really, some tabloid news to keep people excited; how the stock market was doing, with Shinra's stock being at an all time high of course. Apparently the Sector 2 _Electric Boogaloos_ were dead set on winning the Midgarbowl, and a whole lot of other mundane news that were frankly boring her out of her mind. Reading the newspaper had become a habit years ago, one she just couldn't shake off, but today was especially bad since—

She looked around the empty bar.

—there was absolutely nothing to do, and it was driving her up the wall. It was well into the afternoon and only a few customers had come by to eat something, then left again. On a normal day she would have way more of her regulars hanging around by now. Did she miss a special holiday that only happened once every few years that she wasn't aware of?

The others were no shows as well since this morning, with Barret taking Marlene to who knows where, while Tifa was stuck manning the field here. Not even Dr. Hiragi had time when she called him earlier!

Thankfully some higher power had heard her silent prayer. She was just reading about the opening of a public clinic in Sector 6 by Mayor Domino and some guy named Reeve Tuesti, when the door opened and Wedge walked in.

"Wedge! It's good to see you!" Tifa exclaimed and shot up from her seat, walking over to him. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

She flinched a little over how desperate she was sounding, but she really had gotten used to having SOMEONE around all the time. Wedge just gave her a weird look and sat down. "Uh, everything alright?"

Tifa took a deep breath, then released it as a sigh. "This is gonna sound stupid, but I'm bored. No one is here for some reason."

"Huh?" He looked around. "It is awfully empty. Wonder why's that?"

"I know, right?" Tifa sat down opposite of him. "Honestly, I'm thinking of just closing up for the day."

"Well, does that mean you're free?"

Tifa chuckled. "Clearly."

"Then...maybe, you know," Wedge stammered and shifted his eyes around a little, making Tifa cock an eyebrow.

"Yes?" she asked.

"I-ice cream!" Wedge blurted out all of a sudden. Tifa blinked once, twice. Did she just hear him right?

"Ice cream?" she repeated just to make sure. When Wedge nodded at her, she tilted her head to the side. "What about it?"

"Jessie kinda mentioned you know a pretty good place where you can get some and I, uh..." He patted his big belly a little. "I was wondering if you could show it to me? I'm kinda craving some?"

This was an odd request to be sure. _Wait…_

"This isn't you asking me out on a date, is it?" she asked.

"WHAT!?" His eyes bulged so much she was afraid they might roll out of his head. He sprang up from his seat, holding his hands out in front of himself and shaking his head. "NO NO NO! Absolutely not!"

Tifa wasn't sure if she should feel relieved or insulted right now. She sighed again and placed two fingers at her temple. "Yeah, I know a place, it's in Sector 3 though. If you want I can show it to you?"

Business for the day seemed to be dead, anyway, and that way she had something to do, as weird as Wedge's request was. "Alright, I think my scooter'll be big enough for us both. Otherwise that would be an awful long trip just for some ice cream."

Wedge blinked and straightened himself again, giving her a broad smile. "Cool! Thanks!"

"Sure," Tifa said and rose from her seat. They both left 7th Heaven and she locked the door behind them, before they got onto her scooter.

"Hold on tight," she said to him as he sat down behind her, his considerable weight causing the vehicle to strain a little bit, but otherwise it didn't make any intention of breaking down. Wedge put his arms around her waist, careful not to touch her in any way inappropriate, and they drove off, leaving Sector 7 behind.

"So I've never asked, but you lived in Sector 3 before, right?" Wedge asked over the sound of the engine.

"Yes, I did," Tifa responded.

"How was living there?"

Her mind went back to the first few years. How she had to hide who she was out of fear that Shinra was looking for her, after a mistake that she regretted to this day. Jeremy hadn't deserved his fate, whatever it was.

It wasn't always bad though. There were a lot of good times as well, Dr. Hiragi had made sure of that.

"It had its ups and downs," she said. A small smirk formed on her lips. "Used to do cage fighting there."

"Wha—for real!?"

"How else did you think I made enough money to renovate 7th Heaven?"

"Now that you mention it...I had been wondering about that too. But why?" Wedge wanted to know.

"I wanted to repay a debt," Tifa told him. "At first, anyway. After that it became a way to keep my skills sharp."

"You're pretty amazing. I wish I could be a strong as you."

Tifa smiled even if he couldn't see it. "Everyone has something they are good at."

"Even me?" he asked.

"Of course," Tifa reassured him

"Well, I'm good at eating your food," he joked and they both shared a laugh. Soon they arrived in Sector 3 and from there it wasn't much further until they arrived at _Frosty Delights_. Tifa had only been here once, but it was a nice memory, the owner having been kind to a young girl he didn't even know. She wondered if he still remembered her after all these years?

A pair of giggling kids was just leaving the parlor as they approached the door and Tifa smiled, glad to see that despite living in the slums, people made the best of it in some way.

"Welcome to Frosty Delights," the owner greeted them as they entered, a friendly smile on his face. "What can I get ya?"

A flicker of recognition entered his eyes as he looked at Tifa, and he rubbed his chin in thought for a moment. "Wait! Was it... chocolate?"

Tifa giggled and nodded. "I'm surprised you still remember!"

"Pretty good with faces." He tipped a finger against his head. "Ah, but I'm sure you and your boyfriend aren't here to wax nostalgic I'm sure?"

Wedge's eyes bulged again and Tifa grinned a little. "Sorry, not a date. My friend here wanted to taste some of the best ice cream in Midgar," she said, and gave the owner a wink.

"Well in that case." A big grin split is face and he rubbed his hands together. "What'll it be?"

Tifa looked over the various flavors, but quickly decided. "I'll take cherry."

Wedge, on the other hand, took a little longer, but eventually settled on vanilla. "You got hot fudge?"

"Got sprinkles!"

"I'll take those, please!" Wedge said, sounding a bit like a little boy.

"So how's life been treating ya?" the owner asked as he scooped up their ice cream into a pair of cones.

"Got my own store. A bar," she said with just a hint of smug confidence in her voice and put a hand on her hip. "So don't worry about any competition."

"And I'm very thankful for that," he responded with a wink of his own. "Beautiful lady like you would steal all my customers."

After they received their ice cream, single scoop for Tifa and a triple vanilla scoop with chocolate sprinkles for Wedge, she handed over a few Gil and promised she would recommend him to all her patrons, before leaving.

"This is delicious!" Wedge said and practically devoured his ice cream. Tifa could only shake her head in amusement

"Say, do you know where the others went today?" Tifa asked after finishing her own cone. She watched him shift around nervously for just a fraction of a second, and he tapped his left foot on the ground before he looked in the other direction. "N-nope, no idea!"

Tifa eyed him suspiciously; was he hiding something?

Now that she thought about it, this entire day has been completely strange, and all of a sudden Wedge appeared and wanted her to take him on a trip into another sector?

She was about to voice her thoughts, when Wedge pulled out his phone and checked the display. "Oh! Look at the time, we probably should get back!"

"What do you—"but before she could finish he was already pushing her into the direction of the scooter. _What's gotten into him?_

They got back onto the scooter and drove off. The entire ride back Wedge kept dodging her questions, causing her suspicion and frustration to grow as the minutes went by. It was when they were finally standing in front of the 7th Heaven doors that she finally had enough. Spinning around on her heels, placed both of her hands on her hips, glaring at him as she was sorely fed up with the situation.

"Alright, what in tarnation is goin' on!?" she demanded, not caring that she was slipping back into her old accent. Wedge jumped back, eyes wide and growing a little pale.

"I-i-it's n-n-not," he stammered and she could see sweat glistening above his brow. But Tifa didn't care if he was scared right now. He was hiding something from her, and she would get her answers right now!

"It's not WHAT!?" Tifa took a step towards him, but in an amazing show of dexterity that she would have never expected from him, Wedge managed to sidestep her, tear open the door and run inside.

_Wait what?_ She had locked the door earlier. Were the others back?

She followed after him and froze in shock at what she saw. The others were indeed back. The entire place was decorated in balloons, and on top of the bar counter hung a banner reading _Happy Birthday._

Words repeated by Marlene as she ran towards her, hugging her around the legs and jumping in excitement.

"Surprise!" Jessie shouted from her side and Tifa felt something being placed on her head. A party hat?

Her eyes scanned the bar. All of Avalanche, Johnny, some of the other regulars, and even Dr. Hiragi, were all gathered here.

"What the hell!" Biggs exclaimed as Wedge tried to hide behind him, but the momentary anger that she had felt was already fading, being replaced with shock instead.

One of her hands was grasped by Marlene's much smaller one, and she was guided to one of the tables.

"W-what's going on?" she managed to ask.

"Your birthday's what's going on," Jessie said and clapped her on the shoulder. Immediately, her eyes went to Dr. Hiragi, who shrugged.

"I'm only partly responsible," he said, a small grin playing on his lips.

"It was Jessie's idea," Biggs explained after finally pushing Wedge off. She turned her head to look at her friend.

"Sorry," she said, not looking sorry at all. "I overheard you and Marlene the other day. When we visited the doc, I used the opportunity to ask when exactly your birthday was."

So that was what she had wanted to talk with him about on that day.

"Guys...you really shouldn't have." She bit her lip as Marlene and Jessie made her sit down.

"Nonsense!" Jessie threw her arms around Tifa and pulled her close. "Happy Birthday, Tifa!"

A chorus of "Happy Birthday!" went through the entire bar and Tifa closed her eyes, feeling them burn as tears started to well up. Her mind wandered back so many years ago, when her mother was still alive and she had spend year after year surrounded by her friends. When she opened them again she looked directly at Barret, standing off to the side, leaning against the wall with crossed arms. Her eyes found his, silently asking if this was really OK. After a moment he gave her a nod and a small grin.

And with this little gesture the floodgates finally opened and she started to cry, "Thank you!" she managed to utter between sobs, a small smile gracing her lips as Marlene climbed onto her lap to hug her again.

"Biggs, get the cake!" Jessie called out.

"Way ahead of ya!" he shouted back, coming out of the kitchen with a small cake that he placed in front of Tifa. It was nothing special, a simple chocolate cake and a cake topper with the number 20 on it.

But in this moment it mean the world to her.

"Hey, Johnny," Jessie called the redhead over, taking out her phone and fiddling with it for a second before handing it to him. "This deserves a photo, don't you think?"

"For sure!" he replied and took the phone. The young man took several steps back, looking at the display. "Alright, gather around!"

Tifa wiped the last of her tears away as everyone gathered around her. Jessie inched a little closer to Tifa, bumping their shoulders together, while another hand placed itself on her right shoulder. Looking up she saw Dr. Hiragi give her that calm smile of his that she had grown so familiar with over the last 5 years.

"Everyone, say 'cheese'!"

* * *

Later that night, when everyone had gone home, Tifa found herself sitting on the steps of 7th Heaven, looking up at the bottom of the Sector 7 plate above their heads.

"Can't sleep?" she heard Jessie ask from behind her before her friend joined her on the steps.

"Just thinking..." she turned to look at her. "Thanks. For today."

"It was nothing," Jessie said and moved her gaze towards the plate as well, looking a little bashful at Tifa's words.

"To me it isn't. My last birthday party..." she leaned back and crossed her legs. "That was 12 years ago."

"What happened?" Jessie asked after a moment of silence.

"My mother died when I was 8. After that, everything changed. My father barely knew anything about how to run a household, so I stepped into her footsteps as soon as I could. Birthdays after that just weren't the same anymore..." her hand absentmindedly wandered to where the last present her father had given her was resting around her neck.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't be." Tifa sighed. "It was a long time ago."

Neither of them said anything for a while, just enjoying the moment and each other's company.

"It was destroyed, you know?" Tifa said after a while. She saw Jessie look at her out of the corner of her eyes. "My hometown. Shinra destroyed it 5 years ago."

Tifa turned her head to see that Jessie's eyes had widened in shock. "Sorry. I didn't want to get all depressive," she clarified. "I just felt you deserved to know after you told me the reason you fought Shinra. Especially after today."

"I can't imagine how that must have felt."

"And I hope you don't ever have to," Tifa said and moved up a little to lay down on the wooden porch. Jessie followed suit so that they were lying side by side as they stared up at the metal construct that was their sky.

"Tifa?"

"Hm?"

"I'm glad I met you."

Tifa turned her head to the side, to see Jessie smiling at her. Her carmine eyes locked with hazel ones and she found herself smiling back. "I'm glad, too."

Something sparkled in Jessie's eyes; something Tifa couldn't really define, but the smile on Jessie's lips grew as she pulled out her phone again. "Another photo?"

"Sure." Tifa chuckled and moved a little closer until their heads touched while Jessie angled her phone above them.

* * *

**Hmm, I bet some of you smart cookies out there have seen this one coming a mile away, but here it is. Tifa's 20th birthday. A nice light hearted moment for our dear barmaid...  
****Next chapters will not be as light hearted, I can assure you that one. Look forward to it, because I had lots of fun writing those.  
**

**Read and review :)**


	23. Chapter 23

**Well with the TGS trailer earlier this chapter has become surprisingly appropiate, heh. It was also the one chapter I had the most fun writing, so I hope you're gonna enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing. :)**

* * *

**Chapter 23**

Tifa was standing behind the bar, cleaning some of the glasses and talking with one of her regulars about how the soon approaching October would hopefully bring some cooler temperatures to the warm slums, when she spotted Barret and the others entering the bar. A look into his eyes was enough to tell her that it was time for their _other_ business.

"Alright, guys. Closing time!" she called out to everyone in the bar.

"Wha—already?" Johnny asked from his seat by the end of the bar.

"I have to do some inventory," she lied and clapped her hands together. Better she was the one to send them away before Barret did so forcefully; he looked like he was in one of his moods. "So I'm afraid we're closing early today."

A murmur went through the small crowd, but everyone complied, finishing their drinks and either paying up or putting it on their tabs before leaving. She had just ushered the last of her customers out when she shut the door and immediately locked it.

"What's the situation?" she asked.

"Let's talk downstairs," Barret said and he headed towards the hidden elevator. She shot the others a questioning look, but the serious expressions on their faces told her that this was important.

Downstairs, they sat down at the table, with the exception of Jessie, who sat down at the computer, as usual.

Once he was sure that everyone was ready, Barret began to speak. "We've spent years preparin' for one thing: fightin' Shinra. And so far we've managed to sabotage them in small ways, but it's time we think big."

"Big how?" Tifa asked.

"The reactors," Barret responded. "We're going to take them out."

"That's pretty ballsy, boss," Biggs chimed in from the side. "They're heavily guarded. No way we can just blast in, ya know?"

"That's why we won't blast in." Barret smirked. Tifa shared a look with Biggs and Wedge, then their eyes turned back to Barret.

"Jessie."

"Right." Jessie nodded and turned on the TV, then typed on the keyboard of the computer to project the computer screen on it. The photo of a man in a red striped suit and dark hair pulled into a ponytail appeared on the screen. "This is Enrico Alfaro, manager at Shinra's Urban Development department."

"This is the man we need," Barret said.

"He's not exactly a very important figure, more of a middle man in the hierarchy," Jessie continued her explanation. "But, he has access to the data servers of Urban Development and that's what we need."

"I see," Tifa nodded. "They must have codes and maps stored in there!"

"Precisely," Jessie said. "If I can gain access to their servers I can plant my own backdoor in the system and download the data we need to sabotage the reactors."

"Is it really that easy?" Biggs asked.

"From the info I could gather Urban Development has suffered quite the cut in budget in the last few years, and a lot of their staff has been relegated into other departments. Or to put it simply: their data administration is pretty crap. Only the Space Program department is worse off than them."

"So...how do we get him?" Wedge asked and scratched the back of his head.

"We abduct him," Barret said and leaned back against the wall.

"And how do you propose we do that?" Biggs asked. "Just waltz right up to him, knock him out and bag him?"

Barret and Jessie shared a look, then looked right at Tifa. She blinked for a moment, before pointing at herself.

"What, me!?"

"Turns out he's got a weakness for women. I know it's not ideal, but it's our best shot." Jessie pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'd honestly do it myself but I'm afraid...I'm not his type."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"He likes them more...voluptuous..."

Tifa's eyes went down to her chest and suddenly felt herself very exposed as all eyes were focused on her. She immediately crossed her arms over her chest, her face heating up in embarrassment, and she turned away just a little. It wasn't her fault they were so big!

At the very least everyone else in the room had the decency to look equally embarrassed. After a while Tifa regained her composure and turned back towards them.

"Alright, so what should I do?"

Clearing her throat, Jessie summoned up a digital map of Midgar, then zoomed in on Sector 7. A small red circle appeared over a location inside the sector. "Alfaro frequents a bar every day after work. It should be relatively easy to get his attention.

"From there, uh, ahem." Jessie cleared her throat and another circle appeared on a location relatively close to the other one. "The reason he frequents the place is because of a nearby love hotel. You'd, uh, need to get him to take you there."

Tifa looked confused for a moment, then the gears in her head started to turn as she realized what Jessie had just told her. She flushed bright red again, this time from anger. "I'm not going to sleep with him!"

She was ready to take one for the team, but not like this!

Whoa there, no one's askin' ya to," Barret tried to calm her down. "While you're in the bar, Biggs, Wedge and I will go to the love hotel, knock the staff out and take their place. We'll make sure the place'll be empty when you arrive with him, and from there we grab him."

After listening to his explanation, Tifa took a calming breath and looked around at all her friends. It wasn't the most glamorous of missions, but they needed her. "Fine, I'll do it. When do we start?"

"Right now. He'll be off the clock in 2 hours and we need to prepare," Barret said and dismissed them.

While the guys prepared in their own way, Jessie had taken Tifa aside and they went upstairs, heading directly into Tifa's room. The barmaid sat down on her bed.

"Just a sec," Jessie said and ran back downstairs, only to return with a cosmetic bag, a dress and a flat iron.

"Is this all necessary?" Tifa asked as Jessie spread all of it out on her bed.

"We have to pull out all the stops and for that we need to dress you up," Jessie said with an amused glint in her eyes. She pulled up a chair so that Tifa could sit on it while she did her magic. "I admit, this is kinda fun."

"Well, lucky me," Tifa said dryly.

Jessie started out with her hair, using a flat iron and some little tricks to make her hair actually more wavy. After that, she opened her bag, took a look at the dress for a moment, then pulled out the same maroon lipstick that she had used on their date.

"Don't worry, this one's new," Jessie said and pulled out some eyeliner and eye shadow from her bag as well; there was no need for mascara, since Tifa was already wearing some. Tifa sat still as Jessie applied it all.

"You've got such nice skin," Jessie complimented her, after having applied the eyeliner, going for the eye shadow next. Tifa closed her eyes and she felt the gentle strokes of the brush on her eyelids. When that was done, Tifa opened her eyes to look into a pair of hazel ones locked onto hers. "And such pretty eyes."

Tifa saw that sparkle in Jessie's eyes, that she was seeing so often lately, but still couldn't place at all. "I'm kinda jealous..."

Tifa averted her eyes bashfully. "They really aren't that special," she said. Was it getting a little warm in here?

"You don't see eyes like yours often," Jessie said and held up the lipstick next. "Pucker up!"

Tifa did as she was told and Jessie slowly painted her lips.

"Alright, done!" Jessie took a few steps back after she was finished and looked her over. Tifa could have sworn she heard her friend's breath hitch for just a moment, but shook it off as her imagination. "Honestly, if he doesn't bite, he's probably gay and just pretending to be a lady's man."

Tifa chuckled. "And what then?"

"We send Biggs in?" Jessie shrugged and they both burst into laughter.

"Honestly though," she said after calming down. "You look stunning. I don't think I could've held myself back if you had looked like this for our date."

Their date. Had it really been that long already?

"That so?" she asked with a teasing smile.

"Yup!" Jessie grinned, but then the grin faltered and was replaced by a serious expression. "Do you regret it?"

"What?"

"The date."

"Never. We had fun. And it was kinda eye opening," Tifa said with a shake of her head. It had felt a little weird at first, learning that she felt attracted to women as well, even if her overall preference still laid with men. "Do you?"

"Never," Jessie echoed her sentiment. "I don't regret anything between us. You..you're my best friend."

Tifa had to smile at that. Best friend; even back in Nibelheim, where she had been surrounded by friends, she couldn't claim to have had a best friend among any of them. It was nice to have one in Jessie.

"Enough touchy-feely talk! How about we see how this hot little number will look on you?" Jessie asked while wiggling her eyebrows and pointing at the blue dress.

'Hot little number' was certainly one way to describe it. It was short, dangerously so, ending just below her butt, very tight fitting and had little slits on either side of her thighs to show off more skin. It had a subtle floral pattern and golden details that reminded her of some of the traditional Wutaian dresses Dr. Hiragi had once shown her. But unlike the ones she had seen, this one showed a huge amount of cleavage.

Buttoning up the golden collar, followed by putting on the little decorative belt, Tifa turned to the mirror and took in the sight of herself. She looked…

"A bit desperate, don't you think?"

"You look seductive." Jessie stood behind her, peeking over her shoulder at her reflection. "No man will be able to resist you. Though I feel like something's missing..."

Jessie walked round her with a thoughtful expression, looking her all over and making Tifa feel just the tiniest bit exposed. All of a sudden, she snapped her fingers and ran out of the room, leaving Tifa standing there with a confused look on her face. Jessie returned shortly with a very gaudy looking earring in the shape of a golden crescent moon.

"Oh, you've _got_ to be kidding me!" Tifa almost whined as Jessie handed the earring to her.

"I wasn't even sure I had that old thing anymore," Jessie said.

"When did you ever wear that?"

"As a teenager." She gave Jessie an incredulous look that the other woman just shrugged off. "Put it on."

Seeing as she didn't have much choice in the matter, she replaced her teardrop earring with the one Jessie gave her.

"Perfect!" Jessie nodded and Tifa sighed in relief. At least this was done!

They heard steps approaching from downstairs. "You ladies decent?" Biggs asked from down the hallway.

"Yup!" Jessie affirmed and Biggs approached he door. He had changed into a less conspicuous outfit and had removed his headband, making his unruly hair stick a bit out at its sides.

"Wow!" he exclaimed, halting in his steps as saw her and staring for a moment before shaking his head. "Are you all set?"

"Yeah, I guess," Tifa said while putting on a pair of strapped heels and taking her purse.

"Ah! Before I forget." Jessie reached into her pocket and pulled out a small earpiece that she handed to her.

"Put that in your ear. That way I can hear and communicate with you, "Jessie explained to her. "I'll be with you every step of the way in case things go south."

"Well, that's reassuring," Tifa said and put the earpiece in her right ear, hidden behind the waves of hair.

She took one last calming breath, then nodded. "Let's go."

Downstairs, Barret was waiting for them. He, too, had changed his outfit slightly, removing his vest and putting on a shirt to cover up the tattoo on his arm, and he replaced his gun arm with a more normal looking prosthetic. Sector 7 was upper middle class, consisting mostly of Shinra personnel; someone with a gun arm would raise the alarms.

"You ready?" Barret asked as Jessie ran into the back to change her clothes as well.

"As ready as I'll ever be," she replied back. After a few moments Jessie came back in a pair of short pants and a gray T-shirt.

"Wedge?" Barret asked as he opened the door a little.

"All clear," he responded.

"Alright, everyone," Barret said and gave them a nod. "Move out!"

* * *

They went by train. Everyone was scattered on the four passenger cars to keep the illusion that they didn't know each other.

Jessie was the only one from Avalanche in the same car as her, sitting across from her and fiddling with her phone. Tifa looked out of the window, trying to ignore the looks some of the men were giving her. She looked up at the bottom of the plate, the '_fuckin' pizza'_ as Barret liked to call it, while the train rode up the tracks in a giant circle.

She noticed that her phone was buzzing and pulled it out of her purse to check the screen. A text from Jessie.

Looking towards her friend, it didn't seem like the other woman was paying her any mind, keeping her eyes focused on her phone instead. With a press of her thumb Tifa opened the text message.

'_You doing alright?'_

The corners of her lips curved into a smile and she typed back.

'_Yeah. Just getting sick of all the looks being sent my way.'_

A moment later she got the response.

'_Told you no guy would be able to resist you!'_

'_Fun...'_ Tifa texted back.

'_Only 20 more minutes.'_

Tifa huffed a little and put the phone away. Closing her eyes she leaned her head back against the window. This was important; the first step to doing significant damage to Shinra's entire operation. She had to do her best, even if that meant dressing up and acting interested.

The sounds of the checkpoint signal made her open her eyes again and she turned to see that they were slowly ascending above the plate. Her eyes focused on one of the gigantic Mako Reactors that towered over the city sectors they were assigned to, the green glow of Mako bursting out of them, like a gigantic fountain of green water.

Her thoughts wandered back to Nibelheim, to the little Mako fountain she had seen in the caves and how it must have run dry by now. It made her wonder how the area around Midgar must have looked like before the reactors were built. Had there been forests or wide fields of flowers?

Now there was only a huge wasteland.

They had to do it, for the sake of the planet!

When they finally arrived at Sector 7, everyone headed into a different direction that would still lead them to their designated destinations.

Heels click-clacking on the ground, she walked among the people of Sector 7. With 90% of its population working for Shinra in one way or another, it made Tifa wonder how many of them were just simple cogs in the machine, and how many knew what their employers were truly up to. Did the lady taking her dog for a walk know?

Did the two guys in suits palling around know?

Or maybe that young couple walking hand in hand with their shaggy haired son?

Tifa halted in her tracks and turned to look at the Shinra Building, ignoring the rude comments some of the passersby gave her as they nearly bumped into her. She walked to a nearby bench and sat down on it, eyes never leaving the tower.

…

Was _he_ inside there, right now?

Seven long years, and she still found herself wondering about Cloud. Was he alright and just ignorant of what Shinra had done, or had they made him disappear like they did with Jeremy?

Would she ever see him again?

Or would what they were planning to do bring her into direct conflict with him?

She turned her gaze away from the building that towered over all of Midgar, like a gigantic tree from which the gods themselves were looking down upon lesser beings, and instead looked at the night sky. The lights from the city made it nigh impossible to see the stars, but in her mind she could picture them just like that day almost 7 years ago.

It was strange. Over the years most of the memories she had of Nibelheim had been tinged with sorrow or anger until there was only numbness left, but the memories she had of that night were always filled with joy, no matter how many years passed.

Cloud was just...a hard person to forget. Maybe she should be glad that there was at least one memory of her past left that remained pure.

A sound inside her ear woke her out of her reverie.

"_It's me. I'm in position,"_ she heard Jessie say. "_Where are you?"_

"I'm on my way, sorry," Tifa muttered, hoping that no one was paying attention to her, and rose to her feet, heading into the direction of the bar at a fast pace.

After a couple of minutes she arrived at her destination. It was a small place, fitting neatly between two apartment buildings. As she headed for the door, she saw Jessie sitting on a bench, looking like a bored student playing with her phone. Her friend subtly looked up at her and gave her a nod.

Taking a deep breath, Tifa opened the door and headed inside. As soon as she entered the building the acrid scent of cigarettes invaded her nostrils, and she had to force herself not to grimace at the smell as she headed towards the bar.

She noticed a few looks thrown in her direction by some of the people inside as she sat down on one of the stools, placing an arm on the counter.

"What'll it be, lady?" the barkeeper asked, dressed neatly in a shirt and waistcoat.

"Costa Libre," she said, putting on the confident air of a women that knew what she wanted while resting her face on her hand and giving the barkeeper a smile as he turned to mix her drink.

"_Have you spotted him yet?"_ Jessie asked via earpiece.

She let her eyes roam over the bar, passing over the men and women sitting there, conversing and drinking with one another, until her eyes fell on the person she was looking for: Enrico Alfaro. And as it turned out, she also had caught his attention, as he was glancing in her direction while pretending to be listening to what a man sitting across from him was saying.

"Here you go," the barkeeper said as he placed her drink in front of her.

"Yes," she said to Jessie and the barkeeper. "Thank you."

"_Try getting his attention."_

_Working on it,_ Tifa thought and she took the glass. She turned her eyes back to Alfaro, this time looking at him directly, giving him a smile as she raised her drink in a silent toast, before lifting it to her lips. If working behind a bar had taught her anything other than mixing drinks, it was the subtleties of flirting. Casually flirting with customers was part of the job, and while she didn't exactly excel at it, she wasn't bad either.

Placing her drink back on the counter she looked once more at the man and saw him say something to his friend, who gave him an annoyed look. He then grabbed his drink and walked over to her. _Well, that was easy._

"What brings a beauty like you into a place like this all on your own?" he asked as he sat down next to her. Up close she had to admit that he was a good looking guy, the tanned skin and dark hair giving him an exotic look that she was sure many, more naive women would find hard to resist. Too bad she had lost her naivety a long time ago.

"_Is that him?"_ Jessie asked. "_Well, that was easy."_

Tifa had to bite the inside of her lip to keep herself from laughing and managed to create a teasing smile. "I could be waiting for my boyfriend."

"Well how about I keep you some company until he arrives then?" He leaned against the counter and gave her a charming smile. "I'm Enrico."

Tifa let out a fake giggle, which she was pretty proud of to say the least, and held out her hand. "I'm Ayumi. And there is no boyfriend."

"Oh, I'm glad _and_ sorry to hear that," he said and gently shook her hand. "A beautiful woman like you shouldn't be alone."

Jessie whistles inside her ear. "_Not bad._"

"I have company now, don't I?" she asked and raised her glass. Alfaro held out his own glass to clank it against hers.

"You don't look like you're from around here," he said after having taken a sip from his drink.

"I hear that often. I'm from the west and my mother is from Wutai," she told him. It was a lie perfected over the years that she had lived with the doctor.

"Oh, and what brings you to Midgar then?" Alfaro asked and leaned a little closer.

"I want to be an actress. I'm currently auditioning for a role over at Sector 8."

"_That's a good one," _Jessie commented, and Tifa had to admit she felt a little proud of that one.

"Well, let us drink to a successful career, then."

After they had finished their drinks, he had been so kind to buy her another one as they conversed with one another. He told her a little about his job, how he was working for Shinra and was looking at a nice promotion soon. As he was talking about himself, something he seemed to like doing, he placed a hand on her knee, a pretty obvious move on his part. Forcing herself to not shake his hand off, she instead leaned a little closer, to give him a better view of her _assets_ and when he actually did look her in the eye, she gave him a look that she hoped did convey interest.

"You know," she said and leaned forward to breathe into his ear. "Why don't we get out of here and _talk_ somewhere else?"

It took all of her willpower not to blush bright red at acting this forward, but she had to remind herself that it was for the mission. Thankfully, if she did show anything on her face, he didn't seem to notice, instead giving her a little smirk and calling over the barkeeper to pay the bill. As they left the bar together, he placed an arm around her shoulders and led her down the street, saying "I know just the place."

Out of the corner of her eye she could make out Jessie typing furiously on her phone, before getting up and heading off herself. The building he had taken her to was relatively unassuming, which made sense, she wagered, since this wasn't the Wall Market, so discretion was key here. Leaning against the wall of a nearby building was Wedge, looking like he was minding his own business and not paying attention to the couple just walking past him.

As soon as they headed inside, she spotted Biggs sitting behind the counter, leaning back in a comfy looking chair and reading today's newspaper, looking positively bored. He really had his role down.

"Welcome," he said in perfect disinterest and looked up from the paper. "I'm guessing you want a room?"

"Yeah," Alfaro said and frowned. "You new here?"

"Yup, last one quit all of a sudden. Something about seeking his fortune down south." Biggs snorted and put the newspaper aside. "So how long you gonna stay?"

Alfaro gave Tifa a look and then turned with a smirk towards Biggs, pulling out his bank card. "How about we make it an all nighter?"

"Hoo boy." Biggs grinned and pulled out a card reader that Alfaro used to pay for the room. Once the transaction was complete Biggs put it away, grabbed a key from the wall and handed it to him. But at the last second he dropped it in front of Alfaro's feet. "Aww shit, sorry man. Guess I'm gettin' tired here."

"Don't worry, pal," Alfaro said and leaned down to pick it up. Tifa looked over to Biggs, who gave her a nod and discreetly pulled something out from behind his back. A stun gun.

As he rose back up, Tifa drove her heel into the back of his knee, grabbed one of his arms and twisted it painfully behind his back as she slammed him against the counter. Biggs didn't waste any time and put the stun gun to his neck, shocking him, and holding it there until Alfaro was well and truly knocked out.

After having made sure that he was out cold, Tifa let go of him, causing the unconscious man to fall to the floor like a sack of potatoes.

"Quick and efficient. I like it," Biggs said, shooting her a grin and holding his fist out towards her. Tifa's lip curled into a small smirk, and bumped her fist against his.

He then walked to the door behind him and knocked against it with his hand. "Got 'im!"

Barret stepped out from behind the door, a large laundry sack slung over his shoulder.

"Good work, guys!" he said and walked out from behind the counter with Biggs. The younger man walked over to the door, opened it a bit and whistled. A moment later Wedge joined them inside.

"You better get out of here," Barret said as he was trying to fit Alfaro inside the bag with Biggs' help. "Rendezvous with Jessie at the station and go back. We'll take care of him."

"Alright. Good luck," Tifa said and left the love hotel, heading towards the direction of the train station. Halfway there she met up with Jessie, who gave her a grin and walked in step with her.

"How did your date go?" she asked.

"It was quite shocking," Tifa responded and jokingly punched her in the shoulder.

* * *

Later that night Tifa was just returning from the bathroom, dressed in a large T-shirt and sleep shorts, drying her hair with a towel and slowly walking towards her room. A few hours had passed since they had returned. Jessie and her had waited in the bar until Wedge arrived and told them that Barret and Biggs were still busy questioning Alfaro and that they shouldn't wait up, so they all went to do their own things.

Just as she stopped in front of her door she heard voices from downstairs. _Ah, they're back_

She headed down the stairs and her hand went to the door handle when she heard Barret ask: "Is it done?"

"Yeah, I took care of him," Biggs responded to his question and she could make out a certain exhaustion in his voice. "Dropped the body on Corneo's turf."

_The body?_ Tifa's eyes went wide at the implications.

"You think that's wise?" Barret asked right after.

"Took everything from him that pointed to him being Shinra. He's just another dude having gone into the wrong alley for now. Nothing unusual at the Wall Market," Biggs explained.

They both talked some more, but Tifa didn't register the words. They killed him…

She knew that it was logical to do so. They couldn't just release him, or he would have gone right back to Shinra, but it didn't lessen the sinking feeling inside her chest. She was shaken out of her thoughts when she heard Barret's heavy steps coming closer. Wasting no time, Tifa headed back up the stairs and jogged over to her door, entering her room just in time as Barret opened the door downstairs.

Tifa leaned with her back against the door, eyes closed, carefully listening to the older man's steps walking up to Marlene's room and entering it as silently as possible for a man his size. Hearing the click of the closing door, Tifa let herself sink to the floor.

What they did was important, she knew that. Just like she knew that sacrifices had to be made if they wanted to make a difference. But that didn't make what they did today any easier. Nor did it lessen the feeling of guilt. Now she understood how Jessie must have felt, and the words that she had said to her that night rang hollow in her own mind.

She just hoped that in the end it would all be worth it.

* * *

Meanwhile, outside of Midgar, a lone figure was walking the wasteland, heading towards the gigantic mega city. A huge sword, almost as big as the figure was tall, was leaving a trail in the dust as it was dragged along. The figure stumbled, falling to the ground. It remained lying there for a moment, groaning and mumbling a jumble of words that wouldn't make sense to anyone listening to it, holding its head as if in pain. After a while the figure grew silent and planted its hands on the ground in an attempt to stand up.

It struggled, falling back down a couple more times, until it finally managed to get back to its feet. The figure picked up the sword with one hand and continued on it's way towards the city, like something, _a voice perhaps_, was calling it there.

And in the middle of the cold wasteland night, the only thing one could truly make out if they paid attention was a pair of green eyes, like a pair of ghostly lanterns, staring blankly ahead at its destination and mimicking its eerie glow.

A puff of steam escaped its lips as it muttered: "Re...uni...on."

* * *

**Who could this be?! Nah who am I kidding, it's the man, the myth, the legend himself! So you all know what will come next!**

**But this chapter was so much fun to write, from the whole Avalanche planning, to showcasing that they get their hands dirty, the scene between Jessie and Tifa, the little worldbuilding, _the _dress_._ Pure fun.**

**Read and Review, if ya like.**


	24. Chapter 24

** Chapter 24 **

They came at night. But they didn't come quietly. A grenade had woken them all up, followed by gunshots and people screaming, as they turned the entire sector into a war zone.

They wanted Avalanche, and to Shinra the _entire_ sector was Avalanche.

Tifa ran through the streets, passing burning houses and dead bodies. A shiver ran up her spine and she fought with herself not to throw up at the memories of Nibelheim this all evoked in her mind. In the distance she could hear Barret shouting "Come get some!" as his gun arm fired shot after shot, followed by the painful screams of Shinra troopers.

What Shinra didn't expect was for Avalanche to fight back this fiercely.

She spotted a few Shinra troopers running in her direction. Instead of running away, Tifa did the exact opposite and closed in on them. They lifted their rifles to aim at her, but as soon as they pulled the trigger, Tifa dove to the ground, sliding the rest of the distance. She kicked the legs out from under one of them. As he fell to the ground, he continued to fire his gun in shock and the salvo of bullets cut through his two comrades, killing them almost instantly.

Before the fallen trooper could do anything, Tifa had lifted her arm and brought her armored elbow down on his throat, crushing his larynx. Getting back to her feet, she looked around and spotted Biggs in the distance, gunning down another trooper of his own.

Then _they_ came. They descended from a helicopter, three figures clad in blue uniforms and armor, their faces obscured by helmets.

SOLDIER.

As soon as they landed, they split off into different directions, with one of them running towards Biggs and her. Biggs fired his gun at the SOLDIER, but he dodged and deflected them all in an amazing show of reflexes. With his sword he flicked Biggs' gun out of his hand like it was nothing, then ran him through.

"No!" she shouted as her friend sank lifelessly to the ground. The SOLDIER didn't waste any time and ran towards her, crossing the distance between them in record time.

She dodged his attacks, thanks to her own trained reflexes. The SOLDIER growled and swiped at her vertically. Tifa jumped away with a back flip, then delivered a spinning hook kick to his head. The SOLDIER stumbled backwards as his helmet was flung from his head.

"Damn Avalanche scum!" the SOLDIER shouted, his hand covering his face.

He rushed at her, blade gripped tightly in his other hand. She dodged his strikes as best as she could, but eventually he overpowered her with sheer tenacity. Tifa gasped in pain as his blade cut deep into her leg and she stumbled to the ground. Gritting her teeth, she looked up into the face of the man towering above her—

"You'll pay for what you've done, Tifa!"

—Cloud Strife.

* * *

Tifa awoke with a start, sitting up in bed, her heart pounding in her chest. She looked around, swallowing hard. _It was just a dream…Just a dream…_

That was the third time she had had this dream. Almost a week had passed since their abduction of Alfaro, and guilt still plagued her mind over the entire thing, despite telling herself it was necessary. Then, one night, the dreams had started coming.

They differed in various ways, but they always ended with her fighting against a SOLDIER: Cloud.

The dreams felt so real, almost like they were a premonition of things to come, but she knew they were just that: dreams. Nothing more. Just her subconsciousness guilt tripping her. Her eyes wandered over to her clock. It was still very early in the morning, but she knew that sleep had escaped her for the night, so she got out of bed.

During the day Tifa tried to hide her feelings over the entire situation, putting on a brave face and a smile for everyone.

The others were busy preparing for the next big mission, with Jessie being the one that did the most work, spending all day holed up in the basement to get the data they needed with the help of Alfaro's codes.

Tifa wished she could talk to her about the demons plaguing her mind, but she knew that what Jessie did was more important than her conscience, so she kept quiet for now.

With a sigh she put on her clothes, then left her room. Maybe a little walk would do her some good. Quietly, as to not disturb anyone, she headed into the bar and left the building.

The streets were empty. Everyone was still at home, either sleeping or slowly getting ready for the day ahead. As she walked around, she noticed a few droplets hitting the ground, and as she looked up, she saw that more and more were dripping down from the bottom of the plate.

That only ever happened when it was raining so much above the plate, that even the sewage system couldn't properly handle it.

_Did the weather forecast mention a storm?_ she wondered as she headed towards the train station. Maybe a little training at the train graveyard would get her mind off things.

Above her an electrical grid was acting out, another sign that a thunderstorm was hitting Midgar. In the distance she could hear a dog barking, and as she closed in on the station she saw what caused it.

A figure was huddled on the ground near the steps, the dog barking at it while wagging its tail. One of the train conductors had also noticed the ruckus and walked up over to the figure.

"What's the matter?" the man asked, kneeling down and gently shaking the person's shoulder, but the only thing he received as response was a strange moan. The conductor shook his head sadly and rose back to his feet. "...Poor kid."

With a frown Tifa jogged over to them, but the man just gave her a look, shaking his head once again before wandering off. She was about to shout at him, that there was clearly someone that needed help, but the groan from the person made her stop.

She knelt down in front of the shivering person, a young man it seemed, placing a hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong?" she asked gently.

He seemed to register her touch, as he turned his head to look at her with wide eyes. The power grid above them flashed again and he gripped his head in both hands, hissing in pain, but never looking away from her. After the pain seemed to subside he became eerily calm.

"...T-Tifa?" she heard him mumble, and the clouded look in his eyes was replaced with one of clarity. He all but jumped to his feet, startling her and making her take a step back. "Tifa!"

Tifa bit her lip at the use of her name. Did she know this man?

With a confused look she tilted her head a little to get a closer look. Something about him was—

_No, it can't be! _Her heart started to beat wildly inside her chest. This was another dream; it couldn't be real. There was no way!

But she knew that she was wide awake and this person in front of her was also very real.

"Cloud?" she asked after a moment of hesitation.

He gave her a confident smirk and leaned on the huge sword that he had just picked up. Something about it seemed familiar, but she couldn't place it. "Yup, it's me. Cloud Strife!"

So it really was him!

She nearly didn't recognize him. He was all covered in dirt and his last shave must have been some time ago, as his face was all scruffy.

She couldn't believe it.

...Wait, what if he was sent down here to look for them because of the murder of Alfaro, and he was only like this because someone ambushed him? They were right at the place where you could easily get into the slums. Her mind flashed back to her dream, Cloud standing over her, about to finish her off with hatred in his eyes.

But then she took in his appearance more closely. His spiky hair was long and unkempt, the beard growth was wild and not anything like one would find in the military. He looked like he had been on the road for quite some time. Slowly that feeling of unease gave way to something else; something nostalgic from years past.

"I never thought I'd run into you here," Tifa said, and she couldn't help but smile. Sure, she had hoped that she would run into him one day, and feared that it would be on opposite sites, but to _actually_ meet him again? It was...slightly exhilarating, she had to admit, and she felt her mood being lifted considerably.

That was until her eyes took in the state of his body. He was so thin…almost emaciated.

"Are...you alright?" she asked, biting her bottom lip and looking at him with concern. "You don't look well."

Cloud cocked an eyebrow. "It's nothing, I'm OK."

_This doesn't look like nothing_, she thought, but decided to drop it for a moment and instead tried to lift the mood a little. "Wow...how many years has it been now?" she asked lightly.

The power grid above them flashed once more and Cloud gripped his head with one hand, closing his eyes as he hissed in pain. Whatever he claimed, he was definitely not OK. After the pain subsided he looked at her again, waving his hand casually.

"Sorry, got a raging headache," he explained and seemed to think for a moment. "Been five years..."

His words choked her. Five years...?

No, that wasn't right. It had been seven years, right?

Her confusion must have been visible on her face, as Cloud gave her a questioning look.

"What is it?" he asked.

Tifa stared at him for a long moment, carmine eyes locking with his. The blue from their childhood having made way for the same green tinge that she had seen in the eyes of that SOLDIER in Nibelheim, Zack. It unnerved her quite a bit.

Shaking her head she said: "…It's been a really long time."

"Yeah. I honestly thought I'd never see you again," Cloud said. After the words had escaped his lips his legs started to wobble. Tifa was at his side at an instant, putting his arm over her shoulder.

"You're not OK," she said, shifting his weight to support him better. "You need to go see a doctor."

Cloud started to shake his head wildly, looking at her with panic in his eyes. "NO!"

"Cloud?"

"No doctor! I'm fine, really!" he said through clenched teeth, his eyes shifting around as if someone could jump them at any minute. He tried to get away from her, but as if someone had flipped a switch his eyes closed and he went limp in her arms, falling unconscious.

Tifa's brows creased with worry at Cloud. _What have you been through?_ she wondered.

But before that, she needed to get him someplace safe. They could not stay here. Her first thought was to take him back to 7th Heaven, but she would rather not have to deal with any of their questions regarding Cloud right now, when his own words were already enough to make her question her own memories.

_Five years ago…_ She shook her head; she could question him about it later. Since 7th Heaven was out, there was only one other place she could take him to. Otis' old house.

In the years since his death it had remained empty by virtue of Tifa being the only one that still had a key. She just didn't have the heart to give it away, and she had always checked in every few weeks to clean the place up. Maybe it was selfish of her, but it was her own way of honoring the old guy.

Getting Cloud there was proving to be a tricky endeavor though. No one was on the streets, so she at least managed to avoid any unwanted attention, but the combined weight of him and his sword was pretty considerable and it took some serious effort on her part. Despite the situation she couldn't help the small smile on her lips, as she was reminded of the day he had sprained his ankle in an effort to protect her, only he hadn't passed out back then. The smile was replaced with a frown. That had also been seven years ago.

She shook her head and doubled her effort to get him to Otis'. It took longer than she anticipated, but they had made it there without accident.

Kicking the door closed behind them, she carried Cloud to the late man's bedroom. Once inside she used her elbow to push the sword off of Cloud's back, not paying it much mind when the heavy blade clattered loudly to the floor, and laid him down on top of the bed.

Once he was lying there, she pulled out her phone and called Dr. Hiragi. Cloud said no doctors, but she couldn't help him if she didn't know what was wrong. Besides, he wasn't just a doctor; he was a friend, and she trusted him with her life.

_Sorry, Cloud,_ she thought as she waited for the doctor to pick up.

"Hiragi speaking," she eventually heard him answer, stifling a yawn.

"I'm sorry for calling you so early, but..."

"Tifa?" with that he became wide awake. "What is it?"

"I found someone at the train station..." she hesitated for a moment. "And old friend. From my childhood. I think you should take a look at him."

"Where are you now?" he asked calmly and she could hear him moving around in the background.

"At Otis' old place," she told him.

"I'll be there shortly." After saying this he hung up. With a sigh, Tifa put her phone back into her skirt pocket and walked over to the discarded blade, picking it up with some effort.

Why did it look so familiar?

She placed it against the wall and looked at it closely. She could have sworn she had seen the subtle pattern on the blade before. Then she finally remembered!

Pulling the locket out from underneath her top, she opened it and looked at the picture inside. And there she saw it, resting on Zack's back.

No, that couldn't be...He couldn't have his sword. Surely it was a SOLDIER standard issue sword?

But what if it was not?

Tifa turned to look at Cloud, resting on the bed, looking almost like he was just sleepinga. As if he hadn't been suffering from painful fits. She walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed, gently brushing some of his hair from his face.

After so many years she had finally found him again. Or had he found her?

But despite the fact that a part of her felt happy, there was also another part filling her with anxiety, telling her that something was seriously wrong. And she needed to find out what.

Tifa remained by his side until she heard a knock on the front door. She rose to her feet and walked out of the room towards it. Carefully she opened the door and saw Dr. Hiragi on the other side, his trusty doctor's bag in hand.

"Come in," she said and led him to Cloud. The doctor frowned at the sight of him and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Has he been unconscious the entire time?" he asked, taking a penlight out of his pocket. He pulled one of Cloud's eyelids back and shone on his eye.

"No," she answered and sat down on the other side of the bed. "He was a bit out of it when I found him, but we talked before he fell unconscious."

"I can see why he would be out of it." He put a hand on his forehead. "He's running a fever and is clearly malnourished. Can you help me take his top off?"

"Of course." Together they removed his shoulder armor and top. Tifa's eyes fell on his stomach, where she could see his ribs starting to become visible.

Dr. Hiragi took his stethoscope and checked his breathing and heartbeat. "Nothing irregular here, that's good," he said and looked him over. "No visible injuries either. You found him at the train station you said?"

"Yes, why?"

"The way he looks, it's like he walked through the entire wasteland," he replied and pulled a small bottle and syringe out of his bag. "But we can talk about that once we get him to the clinic."

"No!" Tifa placed a hand on his arm, making him look at her. She averted her eyes when she saw the question in his eyes. "...Sorry. He said no doctors. I don't think taking him to the clinic is wise."

Dr. Hiragi's lips formed a straight line as he looked back to Cloud. "I don't like it. Sounds like your SOLDIER friend might be on the run from Shinra."

"You can tell?" Tifa asked.

"He has the Mako tint in his eyes, like all SOLDIERs," he said and stuck the syringe tip into the bottle, filling it with some sort of medicine. "And you said he's from your hometown. So it's a reasonable assumption that he might have left Shinra after he found out what happened."

"What are you giving him?" she inquired when he placed the needle against a vein on Cloud's arm.

"A little vitamin cocktail, that should tied him over until he can get something proper to eat," he explained as he administered it. "So you want to keep him here?"

"I think it's for the best," she said. The idea of seeing a doctor had caused Cloud to panic. He could have a relapse if he woke up inside the clinic and she wasn't sure she could stop a SOLDIER in full on panic mode.

"Again: I don't like it. But thankfully aside from the fever and being malnourished he seems to be in no immediate danger, so I'll concede to your wishes," he said, but the look he gave her was filled with disapproval and made Tifa feel like a child being scolded. He sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I trust your judgment. But promise me that you'll keep me posted on his condition and if he does get worse, that we'll take him to the clinic immediately."

"Of course. I promise," she said with a grateful smile. "And thank you."

"I'll leave you some medicine, just in case. And be careful, Shinra might still be looking for him."

"I will, I got some experience with hiding from them after all." In more ways than the doctor realized, in fact.

"Good." He looked towards Cloud. "What's his name, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Cloud," she said. "Cloud Strife."

"He must be very special to you."

She looked at the young man lying there peacefully, looking so different from the boy she knew once, and she felt herself reaching out, brushing her hand against his cheek, her heart doing a little jump at the contact.

"...He is," she admitted, never taking her eyes off him.

* * *

**Aaah, here he finally is. Our boy Cloud. Took him long enough, eh? If only they knew what was lying ahead of them.  
**

**Also finishing like here, only two more chapters to go, but don't worry. I have some other stuff that will follow after Journey that I hope you will find interesting ;)**

**So until next week. Read & review.**


	25. Chapter 25

**Alright. Cloud's in town. Let's mosey, eh?**

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**Chapter** **25**

It was later that day, after the lunch rush was over, that Tifa found herself alone in the bar. Barret was spending some time with Marlene at the playground outside the sector gates, Biggs and Wedge were running an errand and Jessie was once again holed up in the basement gathering data.

Perfect.

Throwing the rag she was using on the counter, she went into the kitchen to pick up a small bowl standing on the stove. While cooking earlier, she had taken the time to prepare something for Cloud. Her own experience with a lack of proper food in her stomach had taught her that it was important for him to start slow, so she had made him a simple soup and put it into an insulated bowl while she waited for the appropriate moment to visit him.

Walking out of the kitchen she stopped in front of the door to the back, a thoughtful expression on her face. Cloud was seriously dirty from wherever he had been, maybe she should take some other stuff with her while she was at it. Nodding to herself, she placed the bowl on the counter, then walked into the storage room. They reserved a small corner for their personal hygiene items.

Tifa picked up a bottle of shampoo, a bar of soap and a razor, as well as some shaving cream. She was sure that the guys wouldn't notice if one was missing.

Gathering these things, she put them into a bag, and headed back into the bar, picking the bowl back up as she left 7th Heaven. On the way to Otis' place, Tifa found her herself looking over her shoulder, just to make absolutely sure that no one was following her. It reminded her of the first few weeks under her fake identity, only this time she was also hiding from her friends. She would tell them eventually, just not right now.

After closing the door behind her, she immediately went over to the bedroom, and found Cloud still lying there. The ice packs that she had placed under his shoulders to help against his fever had melted.

Tifa put the bowl and bag on a nearby table, then walked over to sit on the edge of the bed. She placed her hand on his forehead and her lips curved into a small smile. His fever had broken, that was good.

She removed the molten packs, placing them on the floor, and took in his appearance. He really needed a shave. _Maybe…_

He was lying still right now. Maybe he would appreciate the effort?

_Whatever. Just do it, Lockhart!_ she thought to herself, and she went into the kitchen to fill a bowl with water. After returning she placed it on the bedside table, then retrieved a towel and washcloth. She grimaced a bit at the stale smell of it having been in the wardrobe for so long, but it would have to do right now. She could do some laundry once he was awake again.

Pulling the razor and shaving cream out of the bag, she placed them on the bedside table, then pulled Cloud up into a sitting position against the headrest. A small giggle escaped her when his mouth dropped open, and she placed a finger under his chin to push it closed again.

Using the washcloth, Tifa dampened Cloud's beard, then carefully applied the shaving cream. Taking the razor, she found herself at a loss as to where to start. She had never shaved another person, so she tried to summon up a memory of when she had watched her own father shave.

_Here goes… _She placed her hand on his forehead, gently angling and holding it in place as she held the razor to the side of his face, and gently stroked down. It was by no means a close shave, so she had to repeat the process a few times before the small area was free of any hair. She cleaned the blade in the water bowl and repeated the process slowly on the other side, then on his chin and on his neck, until his face was completely shaved.

With the towel she she wiped away any residual shaving creme and gave herself a high five in her mind, since she managed to not cut him!

Now that his face was cleaned up, Tifa looked at him closely and had to giggle again, running her fingers across his now smooth cheek. Yes, he was still very much Cloud Strife. But, as she leaned in closer, she found that he did change a bit.

When did the cute boy from seven years ago grow so handsome?

Tifa felt heat rush into her face as she realized what she was doing, but she couldn't bring herself to move as she felt her heart flutter. Despite his ragged appearance, he was a very handsome man now and it made her wonder how he would look once he had regained his lost weight.

She inched a little closer, taking in all the little details of his face and committing them to memory. Her gaze fell onto his closed eyelids and remained there.

Just in time for his eyes to shoot open as he awoke with a start.

Tifa jumped back, watching with wide eyes as he looked around like a frightened animal, unsure of where he was until his eyes landed on her. She saw realization dawn in his Mako infused eyes and he seemed to calm down.

"T-Tifa?" He blinked, then shot forwards. Tifa was startled for a moment as he grasped her shoulders, and she almost hit him as a reflex, but when his grip on her softened, she too felt herself relax.

"Tifa..." he said again, much softer now, and he seemed to look her over.

"What are you doing?" she asked, and Cloud released a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness you're alright," he breathed out. "I was so afraid when you were wounded..."

"Yes...I'm alright," she said, feeling happy over his concern at first, but it was soon replaced by a feeling of anxiety. He shouldn't even know she was wounded. She didn't know why, but she found herself asking: "Where was I wounded?"

Cloud gave her a confused look, like the answer was obvious, then held a finger out towards her torso and ran it through the air at the exact angle where she was slashed, following the faded scar to the last. "Sephiroth…He cut you, like this."

Her heart started to beat like a drum. It just couldn't be. She would have remembered if he was there. It couldn't be her memories that were faulty, right?

"Tifa," he said, and her gaze returned to him. "Are you really OK?"

She looked at him and couldn't help but chuckle. He was the one that looked like he needed way more than just a sandwich, yet he asked her if she was alright.

"I'm alright," she said with a shake of her head. "I should be the one asking that. I mean, just look at you."

With a raised eyebrow Cloud looked down at himself, as if only now realizing that he was seriously thin.

"I—" he started, but his words were interrupted by a loud growl from his stomach and his face started to grow red.

"How about something to eat?" she giggled, and rose from the bed, going over to the bowl of soup and carrying it over to him.

He scratched the back of his head, then nodded. Tifa handed him the bowl and got him a spoon from the kitchen, then sat back down on the bed as he gingerly started to eat. She watched his face light up after the first spoonful of soup before digging in with gusto.

"Good?"

"Yeah," he said as he ate.

"Take it slow," she said with a smile. "I'll bring you some more tonight."

He did as she said and looked around the room again, more calmly this time.

"Where are we, anyway?" he asked. "I know we're in Midgar, but..."

"This is the house of a friend of mine, in the slums of Sector 7. He died a few years ago," she told him.

"I'm sorry to hear that," he said and frowned. "But how did you get here?"

"Master Zangan rescued me, and brought me to a doctor that he could trust."

"I see."

Tifa frowned and leaned forward a bit. "What happened to you?"

Cloud grew silent, looking down into the half eaten bowl of soup, lost in thought.

"After Nibelheim was destroyed there was no way I could ever go back to them," Cloud finally said after a while. The look in his eyes became one of anger and the bowl in his hand was shaking, as he gripped it tightly. "So I took off, decided to get by as a mercenary. Been on the run for some time now."

He sighed. "Guess I didn't take care of myself as much as I should."

"I'll say," Tifa commented. She bit the inside of her lip. He'd been on the run for five years?

Something about his story didn't feel right. She knew that Shinra had been quite adamant to sweep the incident under the rug, had seen first hand what they were willing to do, but he should have managed to shake them off in those years. He was a SOLDIER, after all. If a girl from the sticks could manage it right under their nose, then someone like him should have had no problem either.

"So why did you come here?" she asked. He opened his mouth to answer, but instead squeezed his eyes shut, holding a hand to his temple, and hissed in pain. "Is it the headache? Do you need something against the pain?"

He shook his head. "It's fine. This is nothing. Had worse in SOLDIER."

"Well, if you change your mind, just tell me. I've got some medicine here."

"I will," he replied and opened his eyes again. "Anyway, I've managed to lose them in the wasteland, with some luck I might've even convinced them I'm dead. I came here to lay low for a while, but fatigue must've finally caught up with me when you found me."

You only managed to shake them after five years? There were huge holes in this entire story, yet she still couldn't bring herself to voice her thoughts.

"So you're going to lay low?"

"Yeah, at least until I've managed to regain my strength," he said and went back to eating his soup. That was good. It might give her enough time to figure out what was wrong with this entire situation.

"Why don't you stay here then?" she offered him.

"Would it really be OK?

"Like I said, the previous owner passed away. And Shinra presence in this sector is sparse at best. It's as good a place as any to hide. Also, you're in no shape to run around the slums to find another hidey hole," she said, with just a tiny bit of teasing in her tone.

Cloud looked at her like she had just offended him, but then turned his gaze down in embarrassment.

"I suppose," he conceded begrudgingly. Tifa had to laugh at the sight; now he really looked like the Cloud Strife she knew. He glared at her for a moment, but then chuckled and just ate his soup in silence.

Tifa pulled out her phone to check the time. "Listen, I have to go back to work. I'll come by later tonight and bring you some more food."

"You work in the area?"

"Oh yeah, I own a bar," she said with a small grin. It was one of the few things she was very proud of, right after her martial arts skills.

Cloud pulled the corner of his lips into a smirk. "That's kind of unexpected."

"I kinda inherited the place." She shrugged and rose from the bed. "Why don't you try to get some rest until I'm back?"

"Mhm." He nodded and placed the empty bowl aside. "I'll do that. Thanks, Tifa."

Tifa felt her heart skip a beat, and she looked away bashfully. "Don't mention it. I-I'll see you later," she said and hurriedly left the bedroom, so that he couldn't see the blush that was creeping onto her face.

After she left the building she leaned her back against the door, pulling out the locket and opening it. She stared at the picture of Zack, Sephiroth and herself. As she tried to think back to those days, all she could see was the burning buildings and corpses that the Elite SOLDIER had left in his wake as he headed towards the reactor. Her anxiety returned full force as she went over what Cloud had told her.

She had to get to the bottom of this.

* * *

**Second to last chapter here. It's been a trip hasn't it?  
Friday will be the last chapter, but don't worry. I'll have some more stuff cooked up, don't ya worry ;)**

**Read and review.**


	26. Chapter 26

**I'll dedicate this story to Denebola_Leo, my trusty beta and awesome author herself. You rock!  
**

* * *

**Chapter**** 26**

"I'm just telling you how it is, we can't do it with just the four of us," Biggs told a bristling Barret as they were sitting in the basement, going over the plans to attack Mako Reactor 1.

"I could come with you too, you know?" Tifa offered from her side of the table, annoyance clear in her voice.

"And if something goes wrong, all of Avalanche will be gone then!" Biggs shot back. She could hardly argue with that logic, as much as it annoyed her that he was right.

Over the past two months, Avalanche had worked day in and out to prepare for their attack on Shinra. They had the plans, the codes and the bombs that Jessie had built herself. Where her friend had gotten the plans for them, she didn't know. They were as ready they would ever be. Except for one problem.

"So what do you propose we do?" Barret asked and gave the punching bag another left hook.

"Let's hire some outside work. Lots of mercenaries out there that hate Shinra just as much," Biggs proposed.

"That'll take time. We'd have to make absolutely sure they aren't going to sing afterwards."

Biggs exhaled sharply. "Well, maybe we have to take that time. We've got everything else planned out anyway. Makes no difference if we go in a couple of days or in another month."

Barret just grumbled and gave the bag another punch. Tifa sighed, shaking her head and rising to her feet before walking over to the elevator.

"Where are you going?" Jessie asked as Barret and Biggs started to argue back and forth again.

"Got something to take care of, and this—" she pointed at the two men, "—is going to take a while."

Jessie frowned a little. "Anything you want to talk about?"

Tifa bit the inside of her lip. In the two months that she had been taking care of Cloud, she never managed to come clean to the others, and especially not telling Jessie made her feel the worst. But...something just kept her from telling them.

"Just a bunch of errands," she lied. Jessie looked at her dubiously, before a smirk formed on her lips.

"No hidden boyfriend?" she asked teasingly.

Tifa scoffed. "No way."

"Shame," Jessie said and shook her head. "Oh well, have fun. I'm gonna enjoy the comedy down here."

She took the elevator upstairs and left the building, locking the door behind her. Her steps then took her to the local armory and she frowned as she heard gunshots from the inside, making her shake her head before heading inside.

It was probably the most dangerous place in all of Sector 7, even more so than their little corner of the slums. The owner wasn't much for safety standards, so he let his customers try out their guns on a few dummies he had placed in a far corner of the store if they so desired.

Tifa didn't really believe his claims that no one had ever been hurt by a ricochet bullet inside the store.

"Told you it packed quite a punch, eh?" the owner grinned at one of his regulars, another gun nut, before spotting her. "Ah, Lockhart! Here to pick up your order?"

"Yeah," Tifa said and walked up to him. He went behind the counter and pulled out a small bag that he handed to her.

"You know, you could've gotten an entire new set of armor instead of these scraps," he told her.

"It's for a friend," she replied.

"Well you already paid, so no sweat off my back. Just sayin'."

Tifa looked inside the bag to see if everything Cloud wanted was there, before nodding at the man. "Thanks."

She left the store and from there headed over to Otis' place. As she entered the building she could hear Cloud from inside the living room, no doubt doing his daily training.

"It's me!" she called out as she walked towards the living room. As soon as Cloud had started to regain his strength, he had taken the entire furniture set out of the living room to create an impromptu training room for himself.

"Hey," he greeted her, as he was doing a set of squats.

"I've got what you wanted."

"Great! Just put it over there," he nodded towards the sword against the wall, not stopping in his training. As she placed the bag on the ground, her eyes fell on the blade, now thoroughly cleaned up, and she felt that feeling of unease, ever present in those last two months, well up inside her again.

This _was_ Zack's sword, she was sure of it. But Cloud claimed it had always been his. Given to him when he became SOLDIER 1st Class.

Her gaze turned towards the young man, absorbed in his training. There was something wrong with him, she knew it deep inside, but she just couldn't figure out what it was. He remembered things he shouldn't be able to, but in turn couldn't remember things he _should_.

And the one time she tried to address the issue he had gotten a headache so strong he had blacked out for an hour, and when he had woken up again could only remember part of their conversation.

Since then, she hadn't dared to mention it again.

_What should I do?_ she asked herself, and looked back towards the sword, running her fingers over the pattern engraved in it. _What happened to you, Zack?_

Tifa was shaken out of her thoughts when she heard footsteps approach her, and she turned around to come face to face with Cloud.

A very sweaty Cloud.

A very sweaty and _very _well built Cloud.

She felt heat rush to her face. He really had grown up since their childhood days, and Tifa couldn't help but let her eyes roam a bit. Gone was the scrawny kid that had been barely taller than her, replaced by the man standing in front of her, covered in sweat from his training session. The salty smell of his perspiration entered her nostrils, and she felt herself grow a little weak in her legs at his close proximity.

Another thing these past two months had made her realize was that she was still very much attracted to him, even after all these years apart. In fact, it was the most attracted she had felt to anyone since she had arrived in Midgar, and it delighted and worried her at the same time.

He was like a delicate crystal statue that no one was allowed to touch out of fear that it could break, but that only made you want to touch it even more. Oh, and how much did she want to touch right now!

It was like she was a teenager again, waiting for her first love to return to her as a knight in shining armor, while dealing with all the troubles that puberty brought with it. Had she ever mentioned that puberty away from the one you wanted, while projecting a heroic imagine on him, was rough?

Cleaning her bed sheets had become a daily routine for a while.

It frightened her a little, that he was breaking so easily through all the walls that none of her dates, even Jessie, had managed to overcome.

_That's because you still love him,_ a tiny voice inside her mind whispered to her, and she found it hard to protest. In all these years the memory of their promise was one of the very few precious things she had left of Nibelheim. And spending two months with him in relative close proximity, was it really such a big surprise that old feelings would get reignited?

"Tifa?" Cloud asked, looking at her with mild concern. "You alright? You're all red."

"Wha—Oh!" Tifa bit her lip and backed away a little, causing Cloud to raise an eyebrow. "Yeah. I'm fine! J-just a little hot in here."

_In more ways than one,_ that little voice said.

"I suppose," Cloud said and seemed to dismiss the issue, bending down to pick up the bag. He took a look inside and nodded. "That should be enough. Once I'm done I should be ready."

"Ready for what?" Tifa asked him as she followed him into the bedroom where he walked over to a table filled with pieces of makeshift armor he had been building over the last month. He emptied the bag and started to work on what looked like a shoulder guard.

"I think I've been laying low long enough. Time to get the hell out of here and find some work," he said, like he was talking about the weather.

"You're...going away?" she asked, her heart sinking at the prospect and that feeling of unease returned in full force. Anxiously she brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "Where to?"

"Dunno. Wherever there's work. Maybe Wutai." He shrugged.

Wutai was far away…

No! She couldn't let him go. Not before she figured out what was wrong with him. She...she needed more _time_!

And as she tried to figure out what she could possibly do to make him stay she heard Biggs' words echoing inside her mind.

"_Let's hire some outside work."_

That's it!

"You said you would do any job as long as the pay was good, right?" she asked.

"Mhm," he nodded while attaching some screw to the shoulder guard.

"I think I have a job for you."

"What, like playing bouncer in your bar?" he asked with an amused tone in his voice.

"No," she said. The tone in her voice made him stop what he was doing and turn towards her.

"I'm listening."

"There's something I've kept from you," she said and sat down on the edge of the bed. "I'm part of an anti-Shinra group called Avalanche."

"Avalanche? I thought they were wiped out years ago," he commented and crossed his arms.

"They were. We're kind of their successors," she explained. "We're currently planning a mission."

"What sort of mission?"

"Sabotaging a Mako reactor."

"And let me guess: you need help?"

"Yeah." Tifa nodded, looking at her hands resting on her knees.

"OK," he said and uncrossed his arms. "A job is a job. Introduce me to your leader and we can talk business."

Tifa felt a wave of relief wash over her, and she rose to her feet. "Wait here, I'll go and get him."

She exhaled deeply as she left the house. Now she just needed to convince Barret.

When Tifa returned to 7th Heaven, she found that her friends were still very much holed up in the basement. Jessie turned to look at her and shrugged as Barret and Biggs were still debating.

"I can ask my contacts. I heard that there's a bunch of mercs over at Fort Condor fighting against Shinra troops, maybe we can hire one or two from there?" he suggested and Barret looked like he was actually considering the idea.

"I've got someone who is willing to help," she said then. Everyone in the room became quiet as they slowly turned to look at her.

"I said: I've got someone willing to help."

Barret shared a look with the other, then grunted. "Alright, I'm listenin'."

"I've recently ran into an old friend of mine. He's a mercenary and currently looking for work," she told them.

"Old friend, how?" Biggs asked.

"...He's my childhood friend," she said. It was the closest thing to the truth without going into detail. She noticed Jessie frowning at this new piece of information and Barret also gave her a weird look since he too knew that her hometown had been destroyed "It's a long story, OK? The important thing is that he's willing to help in exchange for money."

"Is he here?" Barret asked.

"He's waiting nearby. I can take you to him, if you want."

Barret grunted again and rose to his feet. "Fine, but only 'cuz he's your friend."

They left 7th Heaven and she led him to where she had left Cloud. She turned the older man as they stopped in front of the door. "Now, before we go in, promise me to stay calm."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

"Fine, I promise," he huffed out and Tifa opened the door to lead him inside.

"Cloud, we're here!" she called out. A few seconds later Cloud rounded the corner, fully dressed and sword on his back.

"The hell!?" Barret pushed her to the side and lifted his gun arm towards Cloud. "What's a Shinra freak doin' here!?"

"Wow, Wow, calm down!" she shouted and moved between Barret and Cloud, whose hand had moved to the handle of his sword. "He's my friend."

"THAT'S your friend!?" Barret bared his teeth, trying to aim his gun past her. "You didn't mention he's with Shinra!"

"I'm not with Shinra anymore. I quit!" Cloud shot back, eyes narrowed.

"I don't believe you," Barret said. "Out of the way, Tifa. I'm gonna finish this."

"I'd like to see ya try, big guy!"

"STOP IT! BOTH OF YOU!" she shouted.

"Ti—"

"You promised!"

Barret glared at her, clenching his teeth, but dropped his gun arm. "Outside, now!" he said to her.

Tifa sighed and looked at Cloud. "Just give us a minute."

Cloud snorted and crossed his arms. "I don't need to do this job. If it was anyone but you I'd be walking away right now after his stunt. Try talking some sense into him."

Tifa followed Barret outside and closed the door. The giant man was standing with his back to her, shaking in anger. She knew that Barret hated Shinra, but Cloud wasn't with them anymore.

"Look, I know he was with Shinra, but he's not anymore," she said and walked to stand beside him.

"He's SOLDIER! You think they gonna let go of one of their elite boogeymen just like that?" he asked after he calmed down a little.

"No. But even SOLDIERs retire one day," she responded. Cloud didn't retire per se, but she wouldn't tell Barret that when she was struggling enough to get Cloud to stay.

"How do you know he ain't a spy?"

Tifa looked away. Why would he spy for them when they were partially responsible for his mother's death?"

"You think he cares about that?"

Tifa whirled towards him, eyes flashing with anger. "Yes, I do! We were childhood friends, and neighbors to boot. He loved his mother!"

Barret looked slightly taken back by her outburst. She never had been angry with him, but today he was testing her patience. He looked away from her, a sour expression on his face.

"It's gonna be on your head if he backstabs us," he finally said.

"I'm not worried about him backstabbing us."

"Tsk, fine!" he grumbled and Tifa gave him a little smile as she walked over to the door. She opened it and motioned for Cloud to join them outside.

"So, what's it gonna be?" he asked the both of them. Barret crossed his arms and gave Cloud a once over.

"You're hired," Barret said and waltzed off. "1500 Gil, rookie!"

"1500 Gil? What are you, a charity case?" Cloud scoffed. "May as well do it for free."

"Cloud..."

Cloud looked at her and released a sigh, shrugging as he did so. "Fine. But only because it's you, Tifa."

"Thank you," she said with a grateful smile and they both started to follow the older man. As they came closer to 7th Heaven, Tifa noticed a few people on the street giving them, or specifically Cloud, odd glances having never seen this strange young man before, and she noticed some of her regulars whispering to one another.

"So this is your place?" Cloud asked and stopped on the stairs of the bar.

"Yup, welcome to 7th Heaven, Cloud," she said. "Come on in, I'll introduce you to the others."

"Sure," Cloud said, sounding slightly disinterested, but still followed her inside.

_**...to be continued**_

* * *

**And that's a wrap!**

**Wew, I have to say, writing this has been one hell of a trip. Especially if you consider that I built this entire story from a few throwaway lines I had in Post Crisis, and let's just say the entire thing grew beyond my wildest dreams. So with this, I conclude _Journey of a Barmaid_, but it's not the end of the series, there's still some more to tell. So while this story is over, look forward to the next installment called _Emerald Dream_ that I will soon post.  
**

**I hope you all enjoyed my take on Tifa's life in Midgar. See ya around!  
**


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